modus
mo·dus/ˈmoʊdəs/noun
modus is spelled M-O-D-U-S: 5 letters and 2 syllables (mo·dus). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, modus means “A qualification involving the idea of variation or departure from some general rule or form, in the way of either restriction or enlargement…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of modus is modi.
How many letters and syllables are in modus?
| Letters | 5: M-O-D-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: mo·dus |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,549th 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 modus?
Modus appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th 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 modus?
- UK /ˈməʊdəs/
- US /ˈmoʊdəs/
- Australia /ˈməʉdəs/
Modus has 2 syllables, split mo·dus in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-modus.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of modus
- modi plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does modus mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteThe arrangement of, or mode of expressing, the terms of a contract or conveyance.
- 2
A qualification involving the idea of variation or departure from some general rule or form, in the way of either restriction or enlargement, according to the circumstances of the case, as in the will of a donor, an agreement between parties, etc.
- 3
A fixed compensation or equivalent given instead of payment of tithes in kind, expressed in full by the phrase modus decimandi.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does modus come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin modus (“measure, manner, mood”). Doublet of mode.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).