heartbreak
/ˈhɑɹt.bɹeɪk/noun
heartbreak is spelled H-E-A-R-T-B-R-E-A-K: 10 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,342nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, heartbreak means “Overwhelming mental anguish or grief, especially that caused by loss or disappointment” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of heartbreak is heartbreaks.
How many letters and syllables are in heartbreak?
| Letters | 10: H-E-A-R-T-B-R-E-A-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.5 times per million words; the 17,342nd 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 heartbreak?
Heartbreak appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,342nd 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 heartbreak?
- UK /ˈhɑːt.bɹeɪk/
- US /ˈhɑɹt.bɹeɪk/
Heartbreak has 2 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)-Flame,_not_lame-heartbreak.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of heartbreak
- heartbreaks plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does heartbreak mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Overwhelming mental anguish or grief, especially that caused by loss or disappointment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Heartbreak in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense anguish:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | crève-cœur |
| German | Kummer, Herzeleid |
| Portuguese | coração partido |
| Spanish | desamor, corazón roto, corazón destrozado |
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 heartbreak come from?
From heart + break. Compare heartache § Etymology.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).