investiture
/ɪnˈvɛstɪt͡ʃɚ/noun
investiture is spelled I-N-V-E-S-T-I-T-U-R-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, investiture means “The act of investing, as with possession or power; formal bestowal or presentation of a possessory or prescriptive right” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of investiture is investitures.
How many letters and syllables are in investiture?
| Letters | 11: I-N-V-E-S-T-I-T-U-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 53,573rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is investiture?
Investiture appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd 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 investiture?
- UK /ɪnˈvɛstɪt͡ʃə/
- US /ɪnˈvɛstɪt͡ʃɚ/
Investiture 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-investiture.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with investiture?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as investiture from its last stressed vowel (/ɛstɪtʃəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of investiture
- investitures plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does investiture mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of investing, as with possession or power; formal bestowal or presentation of a possessory or prescriptive right.
- 2
The formal installation or, generally, the appointment of a bishop, or (uncountable) bishops in general.
- 3
That which invests or clothes; covering; vestment.
- 4
The parliamentary vote required to inaugurate the Prime Minister of Spain.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Investiture in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense act of investing:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | investiture |
| German | Investitur |
| Portuguese | investidura |
| Spanish | investidura |
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 investiture come from?
From Middle French investiture, from Medieval Latin investītūra, from investīre (“to clothe”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).