masterpiece
/ˈmæstɚˌpis/noun
masterpiece is spelled M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, masterpiece means “A piece of work that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of masterpiece is masterpieces.
How many letters and syllables are in masterpiece?
| Letters | 11: M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.5 times per million words; the 9,463rd 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 masterpiece?
Masterpiece appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd 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 masterpiece?
- US /ˈmæstɚˌpis/
- UK /ˈmɑːstəˌpiːs/
Masterpiece 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-masterpiece.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of masterpiece
- masterpieces plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does masterpiece mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A piece of work that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career.
- 2
A work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship.
Masterpieces are not completed, they are abandoned.
- 3
A work created in order to qualify as a master craftsman and member of a guild.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Masterpiece in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense piece of work that has been given much critical praise:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chef-d'œuvre |
| German | Meisterstück, Meisterwerk |
| Portuguese | obra-prima |
| Spanish | obra maestra |
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 masterpiece come from?
From master + piece, a calque of Dutch meesterstuk or German Meisterstück (“masterpiece”). Piecewise doublet of maestropiece and masterstick. Compare also journeyman's piece.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).