dexterity
/dɛksˈtɛɹɪti/noun
dexterity is spelled D-E-X-T-E-R-I-T-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dexterity means “Skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dexterity is dexterities.
How many letters and syllables are in dexterity?
| Letters | 9: D-E-X-T-E-R-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is dexterity?
Dexterity appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dexterity?
- /dɛksˈtɛɹɪti/
Dexterity has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-dexterity.ogg, En-us-dexterity.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of dexterity
- dexterities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dexterity mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands.
Playing computer games can improve your manual dexterity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dexterity in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dextérité |
| German | Fingerfertigkeit, Geschicklichkeit, Gewandtheit |
| Portuguese | destreza |
| Spanish | destreza, desparpajo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does dexterity come from?
Borrowed from Middle French dextérité, from Latin dexteritas, from dexter (“on the right”), this is in reference to most people having greater fine motor skills in their right hand. Partially displaced native Old English handcræft, whence Modern English handcraft.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).