Skip to main content
PlainSpell

estimate

/ˈɛs.tɪ.mət/noun, verb

estimate is spelled E-S-T-I-M-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, estimate means “A rough calculation or assessment of the value, size, or cost of something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of estimate is estimates.

How many letters and syllables are in estimate?

Letters8: E-S-T-I-M-A-T-E
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing19 times per million words; the 4,365th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 estimate?

Estimate appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th 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 estimate?

  • /ˈɛs.tɪ.mət/
  • /ˈɛs.tə.mət/

As a verb (“To calculate roughly, often from imperfect data”): /ˈɛs.tɪˌmeɪt/, /ˈɛs.təˌmeɪt/.

Estimate has 3 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: En-us-estimate-noun.ogg, En-us-estimate-verb.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of estimate

  • estimates plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • æstimate
  • estimating participle, present
  • estimated participle, past
  • more estimate comparative
  • most estimate superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does estimate mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A rough calculation or assessment of the value, size, or cost of something.

  2. 2

    A document (or verbal notification) specifying how much a job is likely to cost.

  3. 3

    An upper limitation on some positive quantity.

verb

  1. 1

    To calculate roughly, often from imperfect data.

  2. 2

    To judge and form an opinion of the value of, from imperfect data.

adjective

  1. 1

    obsoleterareestimated

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Estimate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchestimation (rough calculation or guess), devis ((construction and business) a document…), estimer (to calculate roughly)
GermanSchätzung, Abschätzung (rough calculation or guess), Voranschlag ((construction and business) a document…), abschätzen, schätzen (to calculate roughly)
Portugueseestimativa, cálculo (rough calculation or guess), estimar (to calculate roughly)
Spanishpresupuesto, estimación (rough calculation or guess), estimar (to calculate roughly)

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 estimate come from?

From Middle English estimat, borrowed from Latin aestimātus (“valuing, estimate”, only used in the ablative singular: "aestimātū..." (in valuing...)), from aestimō + -tus (“action noun-forming suffix”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after estimate