merc
/mɝk/noun, verb
merc is spelled M-E-R-C: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, merc means “A mercenary” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of merc is mercs.
How many letters and syllables are in merc?
| Letters | 4: M-E-R-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,565th 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 merc?
Merc appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th 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 merc?
- UK /mɜːk/
- US /mɝk/
Merc has one syllable (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-au-Merc.ogg, En-au-merc.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with merc?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as merc from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹk/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: crem.
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 merc
- mercs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- mercing participle, present
- merced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does merc mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
slangA mercenary.
verb
- 1
slangTo kill.
noun
- 1
CommonwealthUKslangA Mercedes-Benz automobile.
His dad's well rich: he's got a Merc and two BMWs.
- 2
USdatedA Ford-Mercury automobile
a '49 Merc with a flathead V-8
- 3
Clipping of Mercury dime.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Merc in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Translations:
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 merc come from?
Clipping of mercenary. For the /k/ compare bike.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).