idiom
/ˈɪdiəm/noun
idiom is spelled I-D-I-O-M: 5 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, idiom means “A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of idiom is idioms or idiomata.
How many letters and syllables are in idiom?
| Letters | 5: I-D-I-O-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th 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 idiom?
Idiom appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th 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 idiom?
- /ˈɪdiəm/
- [ˈɪdɪəm]
- [ˈɪɾiəm]
Idiom 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: En-uk-idiom.ogg, En-us-idiom.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of idiom
- idioms plural
- idiomata plural
- used uncountably
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does idiom mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.
In English, idiom requires the indefinite article in a phrase such as "she's an engineer", whereas in Spanish, idiom forbids it.
- 2
A programming construct or phraseology that is characteristic of the language.
- 3
A language or language variety; specifically, a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context, etc.
In the idiom of the day, they were sutlers, although today they'd probably be called vendors.
- 4
An established phrasal expression whose meaning may not be deducible from the literal meanings of its component words.
She often spoke in idioms, pining for salad days and complaining about pots calling the kettle black.
- 5
An artistic style (for example, in art, architecture, or music); an instance of such a style.
the idiom of the expressionists
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Idiom in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | idiome , idiotisme |
| German | Idiom, Dialekt, Mundart, Redeweise, Sprechweise |
| Spanish | dicción, lenguaje , idiotismo, idiomatismo, modismo , idioma |
| Portuguese | idioma, expressão idiomática |
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 idiom come from?
From Middle French idiome, and its source, Late Latin idioma, from Ancient Greek ἰδίωμα (idíōma, “a peculiarity, property, a peculiar phraseology, idiom”), from ἰδιοῦσθαι (idioûsthai, “to make one's own, appropriate to oneself”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one's own, pertaining to oneself, private, personal, peculiar, separate”). By surface analysis, idi- + -om.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).