intermittent
/ˌɪntɚˈmɪtn̩t/adjective, noun
intermittent is spelled I-N-T-E-R-M-I-T-T-E-N-T: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,342nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, intermittent means “Stopping and starting, occurring, or presenting at intervals; coming after a particular time span” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in intermittent?
| Letters | 12: I-N-T-E-R-M-I-T-T-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.5 times per million words; the 17,342nd 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 intermittent?
Intermittent appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,342nd 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 intermittent?
- UK /ˌɪntəˈmɪtn̩t/
- US /ˌɪntɚˈmɪtn̩t/
Intermittent has 4 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-intermittent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of intermittent
- more intermittent comparative
- most intermittent superlative
- intermittents plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does intermittent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Stopping and starting, occurring, or presenting at intervals; coming after a particular time span.
The day was cloudy with intermittent rain.
- 2
Existing only for certain seasons; that is, being dry for part of the year.
The area has many intermittent lakes and streams.
noun
- 1
datedAn intermittent fever or disease.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate intermittent?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of intermittent: intmt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Intermittent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense stopping and starting at intervals:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | intermittent |
| German | intermittierend, zeitweise, aussetzend |
| Portuguese | intermitente |
| Spanish | intermitente, esporádico, discontinuo |
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 intermittent come from?
From Middle French intermittent, from Latin intermittens (“sending between”), from prefix inter- (“among, on”) + mittens (“sending”), from mittere (“to send”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).