insinuation
/ɪnˌsɪnjuˈeɪʃən/noun
insinuation is spelled I-N-S-I-N-U-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, insinuation means “The act or process of insinuating; a creeping, winding, or flowing in” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of insinuation is insinuations.
How many letters and syllables are in insinuation?
| Letters | 11: I-N-S-I-N-U-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,337th 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 insinuation?
Insinuation appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th 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 insinuation?
- /ɪnˌsɪnjuˈeɪʃən/
Insinuation has 5 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-insinuation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of insinuation
- insinuations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does insinuation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act or process of insinuating; a creeping, winding, or flowing in.
- 2
The act of gaining favor, affection, or influence, by gentle or artful means; – formerly used in a good sense, as of friendly influence or interposition.
- 3
The art or power of gaining good will by a prepossessing manner.
- 4
That which is insinuated; a hint; a suggestion, innuendo or intimation by distant allusion
Slander may be conveyed by insinuations.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Insinuation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | insinuation |
| German | Einschmeicheln, Anbiedern, Bauchpinseln, Einschmeichelei, Anbiederung , Unterstellung |
| Spanish | insinuación |
| Portuguese | insinuação |
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 insinuation come from?
Borrowed from Middle French insinuation, from Old French, from Latin insinuatio, from īnsinuō (“to push in, creep in, steal in”), from in (“in”) + sinus (“a winding, bend, bay, fold, bosom”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).