fortification
/ˌfɔː(ɹ)tɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/noun
fortification is spelled F-O-R-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N: 13 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fortification means “The act of fortifying; the art or science of fortifying places to strengthen defence against an enemy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fortification is fortifications.
How many letters and syllables are in fortification?
| Letters | 13: F-O-R-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,320th 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 fortification?
Fortification appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th 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 fortification?
- /ˌfɔː(ɹ)tɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
- /ˌfɔː(ɹ)tɪfəˈkeɪʃən/
Fortification has 5 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-fortification.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fortification
- fortifications plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fortification mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of fortifying; the art or science of fortifying places to strengthen defence against an enemy.
- 2
That which fortifies; especially, a work or works erected to defend a place against attack; a fortified place; a fortress; a fort; a castle.
- 3
An increase in effectiveness, as by adding ingredients.
- 4
A jagged pattern sometimes seen during an attack of migraine.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fortification in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fortification, renforcement |
| German | Festungsbau, Befestigen , Befestigung, Festung, Fort |
| Portuguese | fortificação |
| Spanish | fortificación |
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 fortification come from?
Borrowed from Middle French fortification, from Late Latin fortificatio, fortificationem, from fortifico, from Latin fortis. By surface analysis, fort + -ification.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).