mordent
mord·ent/ˈmoɹd(ə)nt/noun
mordent is spelled M-O-R-D-E-N-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (mord·ent). It appears about once in every 69 million words in written English, the 262,293rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mordent means “An ornament consisting of a single rapid alternation between a given pitch and another pitch either a whole step or half step immediately above or…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mordent is mordents.
How many letters and syllables are in mordent?
| Letters | 7: M-O-R-D-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: mord·ent |
| In writing | about once in every 69 million words; the 262,293rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
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 mordent?
Mordent appears about once in every 69 million words in written English, the 262,293rd 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 mordent?
- UK /ˈmɔːdn̩t/
- US /ˈmoɹd(ə)nt/
Mordent has 2 syllables, split mord·ent in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mordant.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with mordent
Sounds like: mordant (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with mordent?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as mordent from its last stressed vowel (/oɹdnt/):
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 mordent
- mordents plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mordent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An ornament consisting of a single rapid alternation between a given pitch and another pitch either a whole step or half step immediately above or below it.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mordent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense ornament:
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 mordent come from?
From Italian mordente. Doublet of mordant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).