momentary
mo·men·ta·ry/ˈmoʊmənˌtɛɹi/adjective
momentary is spelled M-O-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables (mo·men·ta·ry). It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,092nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, momentary means “Lasting for only a moment” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in momentary?
| Letters | 9: M-O-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: mo·men·ta·ry |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,092nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is momentary?
Momentary appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,092nd 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 momentary?
- US /ˈmoʊmənˌtɛɹi/
- UK /ˈməʊmənt(ə)ɹi/
Momentary has 4 syllables, split mo·men·ta·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-momentary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with momentary?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as momentary (/oʊməntɛɹi/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: manometry.
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 momentary
- more momentary comparative
- most momentary superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does momentary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Lasting for only a moment.
- 2
obsoleteHappening at every moment; perpetual.
- 3
Ephemeral or relatively short-lived.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Momentary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense lasting for only a moment:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | momentané |
| German | vorübergehend |
| Portuguese | momentâneo |
| Spanish | momentario |
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 momentary come from?
From Middle English momentare, from Late Latin mōmentārius (“of brief duration”), from mōmentum (“a short time, an instant”). By surface analysis, moment + -ary.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).