famine
fam·ine/ˈfæm.ən/noun
famine is spelled F-A-M-I-N-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (fam·ine). It appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, famine means “Extreme shortage of food in a region” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of famine is famines.
How many letters and syllables are in famine?
| Letters | 6: F-A-M-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: fam·ine |
| In writing | 4.1 times per million words; the 12,764th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 famine?
Famine appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th 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 famine?
- UK /ˈfæm.ɪn/
- US /ˈfæm.ən/
- Australia /ˈfæm.ɪn/
Famine has 2 syllables, split fam·ine in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-famine.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with famine?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as famine from its last stressed vowel (/æmən/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: femina, infame.
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 famine
- famines plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does famine mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Extreme shortage of food in a region.
- 2
A period of extreme shortage of food in a region.
- 3
datedStarvation or malnutrition.
His own flesh, however, which he lost by famine, shall be restored to him by Him who can recover even what has evaporated.
- 4
Severe shortage or lack of something.
the Lancashire Cotton Famine
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Famine in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense extreme shortage of food in a region:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | famine, disette |
| German | Hungersnot, Hunger |
| Portuguese | fome |
| Spanish | hambruna, hambre, fame (disused), fambre (disused), fiaca |
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 famine come from?
Borrowed from Middle French famine, itself from the root of Latin fames.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).