honeycomb
hon·ey·comb/ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/noun, verb
honeycomb is spelled H-O-N-E-Y-C-O-M-B: 9 letters and 3 syllables (hon·ey·comb). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,168th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, honeycomb means “A substance made by bees (clade Anthophila) primarily from beeswax which has hexagonal cells to hold their larvae, and for storing pollen and honey…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of honeycomb is honeycombs.
How many letters and syllables are in honeycomb?
| Letters | 9: H-O-N-E-Y-C-O-M-B |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: hon·ey·comb |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,168th 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 honeycomb?
Honeycomb appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,168th 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 honeycomb?
- UK /ˈhʌnikəʊm/
- US /ˈhʌniˌkoʊm/
Honeycomb has 3 syllables, split hon·ey·comb in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-honeycomb.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with honeycomb
Also written: honey-comb (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of honeycomb
- honeycombs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- honeycombing participle, present
- honeycombed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does honeycomb mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A substance made by bees (clade Anthophila) primarily from beeswax which has hexagonal cells to hold their larvae, and for storing pollen and honey to feed the larvae and themselves when other food is scarce; it is also eaten by humans as part of comb-honey; (countable) a single sheet made up of two layers of this substance.
- 2
Something resembling honeycomb (noun sense 1) in having numerous cells or small holes.
The wood porch was a honeycomb of termite tunnels before we replaced it.
- 3
A space-filling packing of polytopes in three- or higher-dimensional space.
- 4
The texture of the surface of a solar cell, intended to increase its surface area and capture more sunlight.
- 5
archaicA defect in a material (especially metal) where small holes are present; specifically (construction), a defect in concrete consisting of numerous voids resulting from the failure of mortar to effectively fill the spaces among coarse aggregate particles.
- 6
Material manufactured with small hollow cells, sometimes sandwiched between two flat sheets, which is used to make light, stiff structural components.
- 7
Ellipsis of honeycomb stomach (“the reticulum or second compartment of the stomach of a cow or other ruminant”).
- 8
Ellipsis of honeycomb work (“especially in Moorish architecture: a form of ceiling ornamentation (especially of an arch or dome) made up of small vaulted arches”).
verb
- 1
To riddle (something) with small holes, especially in a pattern resembling a honeycomb (noun sense 1); also, to cause (something) to become hollow or weakened in this way.
- 2
To bore cavities or tunnels inside (something).
Termites will honeycomb a porch made of untreated pine.
- 3
To decorate (something) with a honeycomb pattern.
- 4
To make way deeply into (something) so as to weaken it; to undermine.
- 5
To ornament (a ceiling) with honeycomb work (see noun sense 2.4).
- 6
archaicTo become riddled with small holes, especially in a pattern resembling a honeycomb; also, to become hollow or weakened in this way.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Honeycomb in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense substance made by bees primarily from beeswax which has hexagonal cells; single :
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rayon de miel, rayon de ruche, alvéole d’abeille, alvéole |
| German | Wabe, Bienenwabe, Honigwabe |
| Portuguese | favo |
| Spanish | panal |
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 honeycomb come from?
The noun is derived from Middle English honycomb, from Old English huniġcamb, from huniġ (“honey”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kn̥h₂ónks (“honey”)) + camb (“comb”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“peg; tooth; row of teeth”)). The English word is analysable as honey + comb. The Oxford English Dictionary posits that the arrangement of several plates of wax “hanging parallel to each other from the roof of the hive suggests a comb with its teeth”. The verb is derived from the noun. Compare Saterland Frisian Hunichmoarte (“honeycomb”), West Frisian huningskiif (“honeycomb”)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).