frequency
/ˈfɹiːkwənsi/noun
frequency is spelled F-R-E-Q-U-E-N-C-Y: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,875th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, frequency means “The rate of occurrence of anything; the relationship between incidence and time period” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of frequency is frequencies.
How many letters and syllables are in frequency?
| Letters | 9: F-R-E-Q-U-E-N-C-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 23 times per million words; the 3,875th 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 frequency?
Frequency appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,875th 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 frequency?
- /ˈfɹiːkwənsi/
Frequency has 3 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-frequency.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of frequency
- frequencies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does frequency mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The rate of occurrence of anything; the relationship between incidence and time period.
With growing confidence, the Viking’s raids increased in frequency.
- 2
The property of occurring often rather than infrequently.
The FAQ addresses questions that come up with some frequency.
- 3
The quotient of the number of times n a periodic phenomenon occurs over the time t in which it occurs: f=n/t.
The frequency of the musical note A above middle C is 440 oscillations per second.
- 4
A tone, character, mood, or vibe
- 5
number of times an event occurred in an experiment (absolute frequency)
- 6
range of electromagnetic waves used for wireless communication in devices like radios, TVs and mobile phones
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate frequency?
Wiktionary records 3 abbreviations of frequency: fqcy., freq, freq..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Frequency in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense rate of occurrence of anything:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fréquence |
| German | Häufigkeit, Frequenz, Regelmäßigkeit |
| Portuguese | frequência |
| Spanish | frecuencia |
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 frequency come from?
From Latin frequentia, from frequens. By surface analysis, frequent + -cy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).