mechanism
/ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zəm/noun
mechanism is spelled M-E-C-H-A-N-I-S-M: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mechanism means “Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mechanism is mechanisms.
How many letters and syllables are in mechanism?
| Letters | 9: M-E-C-H-A-N-I-S-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,521st 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 mechanism?
Mechanism appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st 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 mechanism?
- US /ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zəm/
- US [ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zm̩]
- Australia /ˈmek.ə.nɪ.zəm/
Mechanism has 4 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-mechanism.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mechanism
- mechanisms plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mechanism mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.
- 2
Any combination of cams, gears, links, belts, chains and logical mechanical elements.
- 3
A group of entities, such as objects, that interact together.
- 4
A mental, physical, or chemical process.
- 5
Any process of, or system designed to manage useful energy conversion.
- 6
The theory that all natural phenomena can be explained by physical causes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mechanism in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mécanisme |
| German | Mechanismus |
| Portuguese | mecanismo |
| Spanish | mecanismo , mecanicismo |
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 mechanism come from?
Learned borrowing from New Latin mechanismus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).