jubilee
ju·bi·lee/ˈd͡ʒuːbɪliː/noun
jubilee is spelled J-U-B-I-L-E-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables (ju·bi·lee). It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, jubilee means “A special year of emancipation supposed to be observed every fifty years, when farming was temporarily stopped, certain houses and land which had…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of jubilee is jubilees.
How many letters and syllables are in jubilee?
| Letters | 7: J-U-B-I-L-E-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ju·bi·lee |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is jubilee?
Jubilee appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th 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 jubilee?
- UK /ˈd͡ʒuːbɪliː/
- UK /ˌd͡ʒuːbɪˈliː/
- UK /ˈd͡ʒuːbɪl/
Jubilee has 3 syllables, split ju·bi·lee in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-jubilee.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of jubilee
- jubilees plural
- jubile
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does jubilee mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A special year of emancipation supposed to be observed every fifty years, when farming was temporarily stopped, certain houses and land which had been sold could be redeemed by the original owners or their relatives, and Hebrew slaves set free.
- 2
A special year (originally held every hundred years, then at more frequent intervals, and now declarable by the Pope at any time and also for periods less than a year) in which plenary indulgences and remission from sin can be granted upon making a pilgrimage to Rome or other designated churches.
- 3
A major anniversary of an event, particularly the fiftieth (50th) anniversary of a coronation or marriage.
- 4
A time for release or restitution.
- 5
A time of celebration or rejoicing.
- 6
Exultation, rejoicing; jubilation.
- 7
The sound of celebration or rejoicing; shouts of joy.
- 8
A joyful African-American (usually Christian) folk song.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of jubilee (“(Jewish history) special year of emancipation supposed to be observed every fifty years; (Roman Catholicism) special year in which plenary indulgences and remission from sin can be granted”)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Jubilee in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Jobeljahr, Jubeljahr, Erlassjahr, Erlaßjahr, Halljahr |
| Portuguese | jubileu |
| French | jubilé |
| Spanish | jubileo |
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 jubilee come from?
From Late Middle English jubile [and other forms], from Middle French jubile, from Old French jubilee, jubileus (modern French jubilé), from Late Latin iūbilaeus (adjective, also treated as a noun), from Ancient Greek ἰωβηλαῖος (iōbēlaîos, “of a jubilee”), from ἰώβηλος (iṓbēlos, “jubilee”) + -ῐος (-ĭos, suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).