iconic
/aɪˈkɑnɪk/adjective
iconic is spelled I-C-O-N-I-C: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, iconic means “Relating to, or having the characteristics of, an icon” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in iconic?
| Letters | 6: I-C-O-N-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,778th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is iconic?
Iconic appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th 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 iconic?
- UK /aɪˈkɒnɪk/
- US /aɪˈkɑnɪk/
- Canada /aɪˈkɒnɪk/
Iconic has 3 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)-Vealhurl-iconic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with iconic?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as iconic from its last stressed vowel (/ɑnɪk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of iconic
- more iconic comparative
- most iconic superlative
- iconique rare
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does iconic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Relating to, or having the characteristics of, an icon.
- 2
Distinctive, characteristic, indicative of identity.
an iconic move in martial arts
- 3
Famously and distinctively representative of its type.
- 4
Representing something; symbolic.
an iconic gesture in sign language
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Iconic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | iconique , emblématique |
| German | ikonisch, ikonenhaft, zeichenhaft , symbolhaft, bemerkenswert |
| Portuguese | icónico, icônico , emblemático |
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 iconic come from?
From Late Latin īconicus, from Ancient Greek εἰκονικός (eikonikós). By surface analysis, icon + -ic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).