lethargy
leth·ar·gy/ˈlɛθədʒɪ/noun
lethargy is spelled L-E-T-H-A-R-G-Y: 8 letters and 3 syllables (leth·ar·gy). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, lethargy means “A state of extreme torpor, sopor or apathy, especially with lack of emotion, energy or enthusiasm; (loosely) sluggishness, laziness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lethargy is lethargies.
How many letters and syllables are in lethargy?
| Letters | 8: L-E-T-H-A-R-G-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: leth·ar·gy |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th 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 lethargy?
Lethargy appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th 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 lethargy?
- /ˈlɛθ.ə(ɹ).d͡ʒi/
- UK /ˈlɛθədʒɪ/
- UK /lɪˈθɑːdʒɪk/
Lethargy has 3 syllables, split leth·ar·gy in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-lethargy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lethargy
- lethargies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lethargy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A state of extreme torpor, sopor or apathy, especially with lack of emotion, energy or enthusiasm; (loosely) sluggishness, laziness.
- 2
A condition characterized by extreme fatigue or drowsiness, deep unresponsiveness, or prolonged sleep patterns.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lethargy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense state of extreme torpor or apathy:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | léthargie, nonchalance, langueur |
| German | Trägheit, Lethargie, Teilnahmslosigkeit, Interesselosigkeit, Nonchalance |
| Portuguese | letargia |
| Spanish | atonía, letargo, aletargamiento, sopor |
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 lethargy come from?
From Middle English litargie, from Medieval Latin litargia, from Late Latin lēthārgia, borrowed from Ancient Greek ληθᾱργῐ́ᾱ (lēthārgĭ́ā, “drowsiness”), from λήθᾱργος (lḗthārgos, “forgetful, lethargic”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, adjectival suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).