emic
e·mic/ˈiːmɪk/adjective
emic is spelled E-M-I-C: 4 letters and 2 syllables (e·mic). It appears about once in every 30 million words in written English, the 165,739th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, emic means “Of or pertaining to the analysis of a cultural system or its features from the perspective of a participant in that culture” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in emic?
| Letters | 4: E-M-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: e·mic |
| In writing | about once in every 30 million words; the 165,739th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is emic?
Emic appears about once in every 30 million words in written English, the 165,739th 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 emic?
- /ˈiːmɪk/
Emic has 2 syllables, split e·mic in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with emic?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as emic.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mice.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of emic
- more emic comparative
- most emic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does emic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to the analysis of a cultural system or its features from the perspective of a participant in that culture.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Emic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense analyzing a culture from inside:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | emisch |
| Portuguese | êmico, émico |
| Spanish | émico |
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 emic come from?
Coined by American linguist Kenneth Pike in 1954 from phonemic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).