element
el·e·ment/ˈɛləmənt/noun
element is spelled E-L-E-M-E-N-T: 7 letters and 3 syllables (el·e·ment). It appears 29 times per million words in written English, the 3,218th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, element means “One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of element is elements.
How many letters and syllables are in element?
| Letters | 7: E-L-E-M-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: el·e·ment |
| In writing | 29 times per million words; the 3,218th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is element?
Element appears 29 times per million words in written English, the 3,218th 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 element?
- UK /ˈɛlɪmənt/
- US /ˈɛləmənt/
- Australia /ˈeləmənt/
Element has 3 syllables, split el·e·ment in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-element.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of element
- elements plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- elementing participle, present
- elemented participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does element mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.
Letters are the elements of written language.
- 2
Any one of the types of atom distinguished by having a certain number of protons in its nucleus.
- 3
A chemical substance made entirely of one such type of atom; any one of the simplest chemical substances that cannot be decomposed in a chemical reaction or by any chemical means and made up of atoms all having the same number of protons.
- 4
One of the four basic building blocks of matter in theories of ancient philosophers and alchemists: water, earth, fire, and air.
- 5
A basic, simple substance out of which something is made, raw material.
- 6
A required aspect or component of a cause of action. A deed is regarded as a violation of law only if each element can be proved.
- 7
One of the objects in a set.
- 8
One of the entries of a matrix.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo compound (something) out of elements.
- 2
obsoleteTo constitute and be the elements of (something).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate element?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of element: BEM, elt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Element in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | élément , membre |
| German | Element , Tatbestand , Bauelement |
| Portuguese | fundamento , elemento , resquício, vestígio |
| Spanish | elemento |
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 element come from?
From Middle English element, from Old French element, from Latin elementum (“a first principle, element, rudiment”) (see further etymology there). The verb is from Middle English elementen, from the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).