farthing
/ˈfɑː(ɹ).ðɪŋ/noun
farthing is spelled F-A-R-T-H-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, farthing means “Former British unit of currency worth one-quarter of an old penny; or a coin representing this” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of farthing is farthings.
How many letters and syllables are in farthing?
| Letters | 8: F-A-R-T-H-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,947th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 farthing?
Farthing appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th 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 farthing?
- UK /ˈfɑː(ɹ).ðɪŋ/
Farthing has 2 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-farthing.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-farthing.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of farthing
- farthings plural
- fourthing
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does farthing mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
archaicA quarter of any monetary unit or measure.
- 2
Former British unit of currency worth one-quarter of an old penny; or a coin representing this.
We must keep them to the fact that the duty is one and three quarter farthings, or nearly a half-penny in the pound and no more, and any one who tries to work it out any other way is not acting fairly in the matter.
- 3
A very small quantity or value; the least possible amount.
That period of infatuation was not unrelieved by a certain amount of self-introspection on my part. I kept account of every farthing I spent, and my expenses were carefully calculated. Every little item such as omnibus fares or postage or a
- 4
obsoleteA division of land.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Farthing in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | farthing |
| German | Groschen, Heller, Pfifferling, Pfennig |
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 farthing come from?
From Middle English ferthing, from Old English fēorþing, fēorþung (“a quarter, fourth part, farthing”), from fēorþa (“fourth”), from Proto-Germanic *fedurþungaz (“a quarter”), probably influenced by Old Norse fjórðungr (“a fourth part, quarter”). Equivalent to fourth + -ing; compare English riding (“third part”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).