hopeful
hope·ful/ˈhoʊpfl̩/adjective, noun
hopeful is spelled H-O-P-E-F-U-L: 7 letters and 2 syllables (hope·ful). It appears 6.2 times per million words in written English, the 9,735th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, hopeful means “feeling hope” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hopeful?
| Letters | 7: H-O-P-E-F-U-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: hope·ful |
| In writing | 6.2 times per million words; the 9,735th 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 hopeful?
Hopeful appears 6.2 times per million words in written English, the 9,735th 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 hopeful?
- UK /ˈhəʊpfl̩/
- US /ˈhoʊpfl̩/
Hopeful has 2 syllables, split hope·ful in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-hopeful.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-hopeful.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hopeful
- more hopeful comparative
- most hopeful superlative
- hopefuls plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hopeful mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
feeling hope
I have been very hopeful.
- 2
inspiring hope
It looks hopeful that my father will be able to walk again.
noun
- 1
Someone who is hoping for success or victory, especially as a candidate in a political election.
Several presidential hopefuls are campaigning in New Hampshire this week.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hopeful in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | plein d'espoir , encourageant, prometteur |
| Spanish | esperanzado , esperanzador |
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 hopeful come from?
From hope + -ful.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).