harmonica
/ˌhɑɹˈmɑ.nɪ.kə/noun
harmonica is spelled H-A-R-M-O-N-I-C-A: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, harmonica means “A musical wind instrument with a series of holes for the player to blow into, each hole producing a different note” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of harmonica is harmonicas.
How many letters and syllables are in harmonica?
| Letters | 9: H-A-R-M-O-N-I-C-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th 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 harmonica?
Harmonica appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th 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 harmonica?
- UK /ˌhɑɹˈmɒ.nɪ.kə/
- US /ˌhɑɹˈmɑ.nɪ.kə/
Harmonica has 4 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-harmonica.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with harmonica?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as harmonica from its last stressed vowel (/ɑnɪkə/):
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 harmonica
- harmonicas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does harmonica mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A musical wind instrument with a series of holes for the player to blow into, each hole producing a different note.
- 2
A musical instrument, consisting of a series of hemispherical glasses which, by touching the edges with the dampened finger, give forth the tones.
- 3
A toy instrument of strips of glass or metal hung on two tapes, and struck with hammers.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Harmonica in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | harmonica |
| German | Mundharmonika , Glasharmonika |
| Portuguese | gaita, harmónica, gaita de beiços |
| Spanish | armónica, harmónica, rondín |
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 harmonica come from?
From armonica. Coined by American polymath and statesman Benjamin Franklin to refer to his glass harmonica, an instrument that predated the small wind instrument by several decades. Doublet of harmonic; compare Latin harmonicus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).