mercenary
mer·ce·na·ry/ˈmɝ.sə.ˌnɛɹ.i/noun, adjective
mercenary is spelled M-E-R-C-E-N-A-R-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables (mer·ce·na·ry). It appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,629th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mercenary means “One motivated by gain, especially monetary” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mercenary is mercenaries.
How many letters and syllables are in mercenary?
| Letters | 9: M-E-R-C-E-N-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: mer·ce·na·ry |
| In writing | 1.8 times per million words; the 20,629th 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 mercenary?
Mercenary appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,629th 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 mercenary?
- UK /ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/
- UK /ˈmɜː.sən.ɹi/
- US /ˈmɝ.sə.ˌnɛɹ.i/
Mercenary has 4 syllables, split mer·ce·na·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-mercenary.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Simplificationalizer-mercenary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mercenary
- mercenaries plural
- more mercenary comparative
- most mercenary superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mercenary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One motivated by gain, especially monetary.
- 2
A person employed to fight in an armed conflict who is not a member of the state or military group for which they are fighting and whose primary motivation is private gain.
- 3
One hired to engage in a figurative battle, as a corporate takeover, a lawsuit, or a political campaign.
adjective
- 1
Motivated by personal gain.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mercenary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mercenaire |
| German | Söldner, Söldnerin, Mietsoldat, Legionär , geldgierig, gewinnsüchtig |
| Portuguese | mercenário |
| Spanish | mercenario |
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 mercenary come from?
From Middle English mercenarye (“someone paid to work, hireling”), from Latin mercēnārius (“hired for money”), from mercēs (“reward, wages, price”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).