fortitude
for·ti·tude/ˈfoɹ.tɪˌtud/noun
fortitude is spelled F-O-R-T-I-T-U-D-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables (for·ti·tude). It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,835th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fortitude means “Mental or emotional strength that enables courage in the face of adversity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fortitude is fortitudes.
How many letters and syllables are in fortitude?
| Letters | 9: F-O-R-T-I-T-U-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: for·ti·tude |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 23,835th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is fortitude?
Fortitude appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,835th 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 fortitude?
- UK /ˈfɔː.tɪˌtjuːd/
- US /ˈfoɹ.tɪˌtud/
- US [ˈfoɹ.ɾəˌtud]
Fortitude has 3 syllables, split for·ti·tude in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-fortitude.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fortitude
- fortitudes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fortitude mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Mental or emotional strength that enables courage in the face of adversity.
- 2
archaicPhysical strength.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fortitude in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense mental or emotional strength:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fortitude |
| German | innere Kraft, innere Stärke, Standhaftigkeit |
| Spanish | fortaleza, fortitud |
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 fortitude come from?
From Middle English fortitude, from Old French, from Latin fortitūdō (“bravery, strength”), from fortis (“brave, strong”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).