messenger
mes·sen·ger/ˈmɛs.ən.d͡ʒɚ/noun, verb
messenger is spelled M-E-S-S-E-N-G-E-R: 9 letters and 3 syllables (mes·sen·ger). It appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, messenger means “One who brings messages” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of messenger is messengers.
How many letters and syllables are in messenger?
| Letters | 9: M-E-S-S-E-N-G-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: mes·sen·ger |
| In writing | 8.9 times per million words; the 7,672nd 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 messenger?
Messenger appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd 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 messenger?
- US /ˈmɛs.ən.d͡ʒɚ/
- UK /ˈmɛs.ən.d͡ʒə/
Messenger has 3 syllables, split mes·sen·ger in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-messenger.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of messenger
- messengers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- messengering participle, present
- messengered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does messenger mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One who brings messages.
- 2
The secretary bird.
- 3
The supporting member of an aerial cable (electric power or telephone or data).
- 4
A person appointed to perform certain ministerial duties under bankrupt and insolvent laws, such as to take charge of the estate of the bankrupt or insolvent.
- 5
An instant messenger program.
- 6
A forerunner or harbinger.
a messenger of doom
- 7
A light scudding cloud preceding a storm.
- 8
A piece of paper, etc., blown up a string to a kite.
verb
- 1
To send something by messenger.
I'll messenger over the signed documents.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate messenger?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of messenger: msngr.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Messenger in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one who brings messages:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | messager, coursier |
| German | Kurier, Bote, Botschafter |
| Portuguese | mensageiro |
| Spanish | mensajero |
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 messenger come from?
From Middle English messengere, messingere, messangere, from Old French messanger, a variant of Old French messagier (French messager), equivalent to message + -er. Doublet of messager. Displaced native Old English boda (“messenger, envoy”) and ǣrendraca (“messenger, ambassador”). For the replacement of -ager with -enger, -inger, -anger, compare passenger, harbinger, scavenger, porringer. This development may have been merely the addition of n, or it may have resulted due to contamination from other suffixes such as Middle English -ing and the rare Old French -ange, -enc, -inge, -inghe (“-ing”
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).