dormitory
/ˈdɔɹ.mɪˌtɔɹ.i/noun
dormitory is spelled D-O-R-M-I-T-O-R-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dormitory means “A room containing a number of beds (and often some other furniture and/or utilities) for sleeping, often applied to student and backpacker…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dormitory is dormitories.
How many letters and syllables are in dormitory?
| Letters | 9: D-O-R-M-I-T-O-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,745th 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 dormitory?
Dormitory appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th 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 dormitory?
- UK /ˈdɔː.mɪ.tɹi/
- US /ˈdɔɹ.mɪˌtɔɹ.i/
- Canada /ˈdɔɹ.mɪˌtɔɹ.i/
Dormitory 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-dormitory.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-dormitory.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of dormitory
- dormitories plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dormitory mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A room containing a number of beds (and often some other furniture and/or utilities) for sleeping, often applied to student and backpacker accommodation of this kind.
- 2
A building or part of a building which houses students, soldiers, monks etc. who sleep there and use communal further facilities.
- 3
A dormitory town.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate dormitory?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of dormitory: dorm.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dormitory in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dortoir, cellule , résidence, foyer, cité universitaire |
| German | Schlafsaal, Dormitorium , Studentenwohnheim, Studentenheim, Wohnheim, Heim |
| Portuguese | dormitório |
| Spanish | dormitorio , residencia estudiantil, apartamento estudiantino, vivienda universitaria, casalicio colegial |
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 dormitory come from?
From Middle English dormitory, dormytory, dormytorye, borrowed from Latin dormītōrium (“a sleeping-room”), from dormiō (“to sleep”). Doublet of dormitorium and dorter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).