lynching
/ˈlɪnt͡ʃɪŋ/noun, verb
lynching is spelled L-Y-N-C-H-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, lynching means “Execution of a person by mob action without due process of law, especially by hanging” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lynching is lynchings.
How many letters and syllables are in lynching?
| Letters | 8: L-Y-N-C-H-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th 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 lynching?
Lynching appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th 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 lynching?
- /ˈlɪnt͡ʃɪŋ/
Lynching has 2 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)-Persent101-lynching.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-lynching.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lynching
- lynchings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lynching mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Execution of a person by mob action without due process of law, especially by hanging.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of lynch
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lynching in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense execution of a person without a proper legal trial – see also vigilantism, takin:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lynchage |
| German | Lynchjustiz |
| Portuguese | linchamento, linchagem |
| Spanish | linchamiento |
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 lynching come from?
From lynch + -ing, see lynch.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).