fright
/fɹaɪt/noun, adjective
fright is spelled F-R-I-G-H-T: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fright means “A state of terror excited by the sudden appearance of danger; sudden and violent fear, usually of short duration; a sudden alarm” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fright is frights.
How many letters and syllables are in fright?
| Letters | 6: F-R-I-G-H-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is fright?
Fright appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th 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 fright?
- US /fɹaɪt/
- Canada /fɹʌit/
Fright has one syllable (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: En-ca-fright.ogg, En-us-fright.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-I_learned_some_phrases-fright.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fright?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fright from its last stressed vowel (/aɪt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of fright
- frights plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- frighting participle, present
- frighted participle, past
- more fright comparative
- most fright superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fright mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A state of terror excited by the sudden appearance of danger; sudden and violent fear, usually of short duration; a sudden alarm.
- 2
Someone strange, ugly or shocking, producing a feeling of alarm or aversion.
verb
- 1
archaicTo frighten.
adjective
- 1
rarefrightened; afraid; affright
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fright in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense A state of terror excited by the sudden appearance of danger:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | effroi, épouvante |
| German | Schreck, Schrecken, Angst |
| Portuguese | espanto, susto |
| Spanish | susto |
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 fright come from?
From Middle English fright, furht, from Old English fryhtu, fyrhto (“fright, fear, dread, trembling, horrible sight”), from Proto-Germanic *furhtį̄ (“fear”), from Proto-Indo-European *pr̥k- (“to fear”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).