Hebrew
/ˈhiːbɹuː/adjective, noun
Hebrew is spelled H-E-B-R-E-W: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 8.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,146th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, Hebrew means “Of or pertaining to the Hebrew people or language” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in Hebrew?
| Letters | 6: H-E-B-R-E-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 8.1 times per million words; the 8,146th 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 Hebrew?
Hebrew appears 8.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,146th 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 Hebrew?
- /ˈhiːbɹuː/
Hebrew 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: En-us-Hebrew.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of Hebrew
- Hebrews plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does Hebrew mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to the Hebrew people or language.
noun
- 1
A member or descendant of a Semitic people claiming descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- 2
A descendant of the biblical Patriarch Eber.
- 3
colloquialUnintelligible speech or writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hebrew in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hébreu, hébraïque , Hébreu, Hébreuse |
| German | hebräisch , Hebräer, Hebräerin |
| Portuguese | hebraico , hebreu, hebreia, hebraica |
| Spanish | hebreo , hebrea |
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 Hebrew come from?
From Middle English Ebreu, from Old French Ebreu, from Latin hebraeus or hebraicus, from Ancient Greek Ἑβραῖος (Hebraîos), from Aramaic עִבְרַי (ʿiḇray), from Hebrew עִבְרִי (ʿiḇrī́).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).