laconic
/ləˈkɑnɪk/adjective
laconic is spelled L-A-C-O-N-I-C: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,074th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, laconic means “Of speech or writing, communicative through the use of as few words as possible” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in laconic?
| Letters | 7: L-A-C-O-N-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 60,074th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 laconic?
Laconic appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,074th 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 laconic?
- UK /ləˈkɒnɪk/
- US /ləˈkɑnɪk/
Laconic has 3 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-laconic.ogg, En-au-laconic.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with laconic?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as laconic from its last stressed vowel (/ɑnɪk/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: conical.
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 laconic
- more laconic comparative
- most laconic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does laconic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of speech or writing, communicative through the use of as few words as possible.
Near-synonym: brief
- 2
Of a speaker or writer, communicating through the use of as few words as possible.
Near-synonyms: taciturn, untalkative, terse, quiet, spartan
- 3
AustraliaproscribedLaid-back; casual; not intense.
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to ancient Laconia in Greece.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Laconic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense using as few words as possible:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | laconique |
| German | lakonisch, wortkarg, einsilbig |
| Portuguese | lacónico, lacônico |
| Spanish | lacónico |
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 laconic come from?
From Latin Lacōnicus (“Spartan”), from Ancient Greek Λακωνικός (Lakōnikós, “Laconian”). Laconia was the region inhabited and ruled by the Spartans, who were known for their brevity in speech.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).