instrument
in·stru·ment/ˈɪnstɹəmənt/noun, verb
instrument is spelled I-N-S-T-R-U-M-E-N-T, 3 syllables: in·stru·ment. The wrong spelling people search most is intrument: about 30 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 74 of all searches for the word. Instrument is a noun meaning “A device used to produce music”. The plural of instrument is instruments.
How many letters and syllables are in instrument?
| Letters | 10: I-N-S-T-R-U-M-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: in·stru·ment |
| In writing | 18 times per million words; the 4,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, intrument, about 30 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell instrument?
Instrument is spelled I-N-S-T-R-U-M-E-N-T. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 74 of the searches for instrument in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is instrument?
Instrument appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,589th 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 instrument?
- /ˈɪnstɹəmənt/
- /ˈɪnstɹʊmənt/
Instrument has 3 syllables, split in·stru·ment in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-instrument.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of instrument
- instruments plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- instrumenting participle, present
- instrumented participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does instrument mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A device used to produce music.
The violinist was a master of her instrument.
- 2
A means or agency for achieving an aspect.
- 3
A measuring or displaying device.
The instrument detected an increase in radioactivity.
- 4
A tool, implement used for manipulation or measurement.
The dentist set down his tray of instruments.
- 5
Ellipsis of flight instrument.
Flight within clouds must be made by reference to your instruments.
- 6
A legal document, such as a contract, deed, trust, mortgage, power, indenture, or will, or any of a class of negotiable ones (which can be exchanged for value or money).
A bond indenture is the instrument that gives a bond its value.
- 7
A person used as a mere tool for achieving a goal.
verb
- 1
To apply measuring devices.
an instrumented test article
- 2
To devise, conceive, cook up, plan.
- 3
To perform upon an instrument; to prepare for an instrument.
a sonata instrumented for orchestra
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate instrument?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of instrument: instmt., instr.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Instrument in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | instrument , instrument de mesure , acte |
| German | Instrument, Musikinstrument , Messinstrument , Werkzeug |
| Portuguese | instrumento , aparelho |
| Spanish | instrumento , herramienta |
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 instrument come from?
From Middle English instrument, from Old French instrument, from Latin īnstrūmentum (“an implement, tool”), From īnstruō (“build, construct; arrange”) + -mentum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).