monosyllabic
mo·no·syl·la·bic/ˌmɒnə(ʊ)sɪˈlabɪk/adjective, noun
monosyllabic is spelled M-O-N-O-S-Y-L-L-A-B-I-C: 12 letters and 5 syllables (mo·no·syl·la·bic). It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 73,203rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, monosyllabic means “Consisting of one syllable” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in monosyllabic?
| Letters | 12: M-O-N-O-S-Y-L-L-A-B-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: mo·no·syl·la·bic |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 73,203rd 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 monosyllabic?
Monosyllabic appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 73,203rd 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 monosyllabic?
- UK /ˌmɒnə(ʊ)sɪˈlabɪk/
- Canada /ˌmɒn.oʊ.sɪˈlæb.ɪk/
Monosyllabic has 5 syllables, split mo·no·syl·la·bic in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-ca-monosyllabic.opus, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of monosyllabic
- monosyllabics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does monosyllabic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Consisting of one syllable.
monosyllabic word
- 2
Using monosyllables, speaking in monosyllables; curt.
monosyllabic responses
noun
- 1
A word consisting of one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Monosyllabic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | monosyllabique |
| German | einsilbig, monosyllabisch , kurz angebunden , Einsilbler, Einsilber, Monosyllabum |
| Portuguese | monossilábico, monossílabo |
| Spanish | monosílabo , monosílabico |
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 monosyllabic come from?
Borrowed from Late Latin monosyllabicus, from Latin monosyllabus, from Hellenistic Ancient Greek μονοσύλλαβος (monosúllabos). By surface analysis, monosyllable + -ic or mono- + syllabic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).