empty
emp·ty/ˈɛm(p).ti/adjective, verb, noun
empty is spelled E-M-P-T-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables (emp·ty). It appears 39 times per million words in written English, the 2,523rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, empty means “Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in empty?
| Letters | 5: E-M-P-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: emp·ty |
| In writing | 39 times per million words; the 2,523rd 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 empty?
Empty appears 39 times per million words in written English, the 2,523rd 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 empty?
- US /ˈɛm(p).ti/
- US [ˈɛm(p).tʰi]
- /ˈɪm(p).ti/
Empty has 2 syllables, split emp·ty in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-empty.ogg, En-us-empty.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of empty
- emptier comparative
- emptiest superlative
- empties present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- emptying participle, present
- emptied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does empty mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant.
an empty purse
- 2
Containing no elements (as of a string, array, or set), opposed to being null (having no valid value).
- 3
obsoleteFree; clear; devoid; often with of.
- 4
Having nothing to carry, emptyhanded; unburdened.
- 5
Destitute of effect, sincerity, or sense; said of language.
empty words, or threats
- 6
Unable to satisfy; hollow; vain.
empty pleasures
- 7
Destitute of reality, or real existence; unsubstantial.
empty dreams
- 8
Destitute of, or lacking, sense, knowledge, or courtesy.
empty brains
verb
- 1
To make empty; to remove the contents of.
to empty a well or a cistern
- 2
Of a river, duct, etc: to drain or flow toward an ultimate destination.
Salmon River empties on the W shore about 2 miles below Bear River.
noun
- 1
A container, especially a bottle, whose contents have been used up, leaving it empty.
Put the empties out to be recycled.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Empty in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vide , vider , cadavre |
| German | leer, inhaltslos , leeren, entleeren, ausleeren, leer machen |
| Portuguese | vazio , esvaziar , casco |
| Spanish | vacío , vaciar |
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 empty come from?
From Middle English emty, amty, from Old English ǣmtiġ, ǣmettiġ (“vacant, empty, free, idle, unmarried”, literally “without must or obligation, leisurely”), from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”) + Proto-Germanic *mōtijô, *mōtô (“must, obligation, need”), *mōtiþô (“ability, accommodation”), from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“measure; to acquire, possess, be in command”). Related to Old English ġeǣmtigian (“to empty”), ǣmetta (“leisure”), mōtan (“can, to be allowed”). More at mote, meet. The interconsonantal excrescent p is a euphonic insertion dating from Middle English.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).