monotone
/ˈmɑ.nə.toʊn/adjective, noun, verb
monotone is spelled M-O-N-O-T-O-N-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, monotone means “Having a single unvaried pitch” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in monotone?
| Letters | 8: M-O-N-O-T-O-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is monotone?
Monotone appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th 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 monotone?
- UK /ˈmɒn.ə.təʊn/
- US /ˈmɑ.nə.toʊn/
- Canada /ˈmɒn.ə.toʊn/
Monotone has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-monotone.ogg, En-us-monotone.ogg, En-au-monotone.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of monotone
- more monotone comparative
- most monotone superlative
- monotones plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- monotoning participle, present
- monotoned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does monotone mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a single unvaried pitch.
The prominence of the syllables is more monotone than in English, the intonation of the latter having a larger variation of stressed and unstressed syllables.
- 2
Of a function: that is always nonincreasing or nondecreasing on an interval.
The function f(x)#58;#61;x³ is monotone on #92;R, while g(x)#58;#61;x² is not.
- 3
Synonym of monochrome.
noun
- 1
A single unvaried tone of speech or a sound.
When Tima felt like her parents were treating her like a servant, she would speak in monotone and act as though she were a robot.
- 2
A piece of writing in one strain throughout.
verb
- 1
To speak in a monotone.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Monotone in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | monoton |
| Portuguese | monótono, monotónico, monotônico |
| Spanish | monótono |
| French | monotone |
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 monotone come from?
From the post-Classical Latin monotonus (“unvarying in tone”) or its etymon the Ancient Greek μονότονος (monótonos, “steady”, “unwavering”); compare cognate adjectives, namely the French monotone, the German monoton, the Italian monotono, and the Spanish monótono, as well as the slightly earlier English noun monotony and adjective monotonical.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).