fetid
/ˈfɛtɪd/adjective, noun
fetid is spelled F-E-T-I-D: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, fetid means “Foul-smelling, stinking” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fetid?
| Letters | 5: F-E-T-I-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 67,454th 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 fetid?
Fetid appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th 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 fetid?
- /ˈfɛtɪd/
Fetid 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-fetid.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fetid
- more fetid comparative
- most fetid superlative
- foetid
- fetids plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fetid mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Foul-smelling, stinking.
I caught the fetid odor of dirty socks.
- 2
datedslangUnpleasant.
noun
- 1
rareThe foul-smelling asafoetida plant, or its extracts.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fetid in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense foul-smelling:
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 fetid come from?
Borrowed from Latin fētidus (“having offensive odour”), originally fēteō (“to stink”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).