diverticulum
/ˌdɑɪ.vɜːˈtɪ.kjə.ləm/noun
diverticulum is spelled D-I-V-E-R-T-I-C-U-L-U-M: 12 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 21 million words in written English, the 138,319th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, diverticulum means “A small out-pouching of an organ wall such as the large intestine or urinary bladder” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of diverticulum is diverticulums or diverticula; Wiktionary also lists diverticuli (proscribed).
How many letters and syllables are in diverticulum?
| Letters | 12: D-I-V-E-R-T-I-C-U-L-U-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 21 million words; the 138,319th 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 diverticulum?
Diverticulum appears about once in every 21 million words in written English, the 138,319th 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 diverticulum?
- /ˌdɑɪ.vɜːˈtɪ.kjə.ləm/
Diverticulum has 5 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-diverticulum.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of diverticulum
- diverticulums plural
- diverticula plural
- diverticuli plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does diverticulum mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small out-pouching of an organ wall such as the large intestine or urinary bladder.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Diverticulum in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense small growth off an organ:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | diverticule |
| German | Divertikel |
| Portuguese | divertículo |
| Spanish | divertículo |
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 diverticulum come from?
From Latin dīverticulum, alternative form of dēverticulum (“byroad; deviation”), from dēvertō (“turn away, turn aside”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).