multiply
/ˈmʌltɪplaɪ/verb, noun, adverb, adjective
multiply is spelled M-U-L-T-I-P-L-Y: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, multiply means “To increase the amount, degree or number of (something)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in multiply?
| Letters | 8: M-U-L-T-I-P-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th 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 multiply?
Multiply appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th 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 multiply?
- /ˈmʌltɪplaɪ/
As an adverb (“In many or multiple ways”): /ˈmʌltɪpli/.
Multiply 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-multiply_(verb).wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-multiply_(adv).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with multiply
Also written: multi-ply (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of multiply
- multiplies present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- multiplying participle, present
- multiplied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does multiply mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To increase the amount, degree or number of (something).
- 2
To perform multiplication on (a number).
when you multiply 3 by 7, you get 21; he multiplied several numbers
- 3
To grow in number.
- 4
To breed or propagate.
- 5
To perform multiplication.
He had been multiplying, but it occurred to him he needed to resolve the exponents, first.
- 6
rareTo be a factor in a multiplication with (another factor).
noun
- 1
An act or instance of multiplying.
adverb
- 1
In many or multiple ways.
adjective
- 1
Having more than one ply or layer; multilayered.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate multiply?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of multiply: mltply, mult.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Multiply in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | multiplier , se multiplier , faire la multiplication |
| German | vermehren , malnehmen, multiplizieren |
| Spanish | multiplicar, amochiguar , multiplicarse |
| Portuguese | multiplicar |
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 multiply come from?
From Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicō, from multi (“many”) + plicō (“to fold”). The noun presumably derives from the verb.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).