instant
/ˈɪnstənt/noun, adjective, adverb
instant is spelled I-N-S-T-A-N-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 22 times per million words in written English, the 4,015th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, instant means “A very short period of time; a moment” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of instant is instants.
How many letters and syllables are in instant?
| Letters | 7: I-N-S-T-A-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 22 times per million words; the 4,015th 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 instant?
Instant appears 22 times per million words in written English, the 4,015th 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 instant?
- /ˈɪnstənt/
Instant has 2 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-us-instant.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of instant
- instants plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- instanting participle, present
- instanted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does instant mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A very short period of time; a moment.
She paused for only an instant, which was just enough time for John to change the subject.
- 2
A single, usually precise, point in time.
The instant the alarm went off, he fled the building.
- 3
A beverage or food which has been pre-processed to reduce preparation time, especially instant coffee.
- 4
instant camera
adjective
- 1
datedImpending; imminent.
- 2
datedUrgent; pressing; acute.
- 3
datedInsistent; persistent.
January 2, 1827, Thomas Carlyle, letter to Mrs. Carlyle, Scotsbrig I am beginning to be very instant for some sort of occupation.
- 4
Present; current; extant.
He received just two disciplinary reports prior to committing the instant offense, one in March 2019 for activating an alarm during a non-emergency situation, and one in May 2019 for failing to provide a urine specimen.
- 5
Occurring immediately; immediate; present.
- 6
Lasting for a short moment; momentary; short-lived.
- 7
Very quickly and easily prepared.
instant coffee; instant noodles; instant mashed potato; instant photo
- 8
datedOf the current month.
I refer to your letter of the 16th instant in regard to traffic disruption.
adverb
- 1
At once; immediately.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo urge, press (someone); to insist on, demand (something).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate instant?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of instant: inst..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Instant in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | instant , instantané |
| German | Augenblick, Moment , Instantessen , bevorstehend , dringend , augenblicklich |
| Portuguese | instante, momento , instantâneo, instantânea |
| Spanish | instante , instantáneo , momento |
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.