multilingualism

/mʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəlɪzəm/

//mʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəlɪzəm// noun

"multilingualism" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“multilingualism” is uncommon English (frequency #82,570 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,570
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The condition of being multilingual; the ability to speak multiple languages.

Corpus desk

Index EN-multilingualism · multilingualism · English

multilingualism · rank #82,570 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,570
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Muniz

Nearest frequency peer: Muniz (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “multilingualism”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “multilingualism” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for multilingualism
PropertyValue
Headwordmultilingualism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəlɪzəm/
Letters15
Frequency rank#82,570
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “multilingualism” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).multilingualismfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Muniz” (#82,571), “Mountford” (#82,564), “moulder” (#82,562). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “multilingualism” is #82,570. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

multilingualism is uncommon English at frequency #82,570 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /mʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəlɪzəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The condition of being multilingual; the ability to speak multiple languages.".

No misspelling variants are generated for multilingualism in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From multilingual + -ism. The correct English form is multilingualism, spelled M-U-L-T-I-L-I-N-G-U-A-L-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The condition of being multilingual; the ability to speak multiple languages.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how multilingualism appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. This is, perhaps, where writing centers and composition studies are implicated most obviously into the conversation of language ideology, translingualism, and multilingualism.
  2. Spielberg showed us, a nation historically obsessed with the idea of domination, that respect is a courageous choice and that multilingualism is our true color. It is who we are.

Etymology

From multilingual + -ism.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "multilingualism"?
"multilingualism" is spelled M-U-L-T-I-L-I-N-G-U-A-L-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /mʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəlɪzəm/.
What does "multilingualism" mean?
As a noun, "multilingualism" means: The condition of being multilingual; the ability to speak multiple languages.
How do you pronounce "multilingualism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "multilingualism" is /mʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəlɪzəm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "multilingualism"?
From multilingual + -ism. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "multilingualism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 15 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list