hokum
ho·kum/ˈhoʊkəm/noun
hokum is spelled H-O-K-U-M: 5 letters and 2 syllables (ho·kum). It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 91,522nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hokum means “(An instance of) meaningless nonsense with an outward appearance of being impressive and legitimate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hokum is hokums.
How many letters and syllables are in hokum?
| Letters | 5: H-O-K-U-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ho·kum |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 91,522nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is hokum?
Hokum appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 91,522nd 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 hokum?
- UK /ˈhəʊkəm/
- US /ˈhoʊkəm/
Hokum has 2 syllables, split ho·kum in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-hokum.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hokum
- hokums plural
- hocum
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hokum mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
informal(An instance of) meaningless nonsense with an outward appearance of being impressive and legitimate.
- 2
informal(An instance of) excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material in a film, television programme, theater production, etc.
- 3
informalA film, television programme, theater production, etc., containing excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material.
- 4
A genre of blues song or music, often characterized by sexual innuendos or satire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hokum in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | absurdité |
| Spanish | cursilada, cursilería |
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 hokum come from?
Uncertain; first attested as US theater slang, possibly a blend of hocus-pocus + bunkum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).