music
mus·ic/ˈmju.zɪk/noun, verb, adjective
music is spelled M-U-S-I-C: 5 letters and 2 syllables (mus·ic). It appears 331 times per million words in written English, the 282nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, music means “A series of sounds organized in time, usually employing some combination of harmony, melody, rhythm, tempo, timbre, sound design, lyrics, etc., often…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of music is musics.
How many letters and syllables are in music?
| Letters | 5: M-U-S-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: mus·ic |
| In writing | 331 times per million words; the 282nd 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 music?
Music appears 331 times per million words in written English, the 282nd 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 music?
- UK /ˈmjuːzɪk/
- British /ˈmjʉwzɪk/
- US /ˈmju.zɪk/
Music has 2 syllables, split mus·ic in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-music.ogg, En-us-music.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of music
- musics plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- musick
- musicke
- musique
- musike
- musicking participle, present
- musicked participle, past
- more music comparative
- most music superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does music mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A series of sounds organized in time, usually employing some combination of harmony, melody, rhythm, tempo, timbre, sound design, lyrics, etc., often to convey a mood.
I keep listening to this music because it’s a masterpiece.
- 2
Any interesting or pleasing sounds.
- 3
An art form, created by organizing pitch, rhythm, and sounds made using musical instruments and/or singing.
- 4
A guide to playing or singing a particular tune; sheet music.
- 5
slangElectronic signal jamming.
- 6
USdatedslangHeated argument.
- 7
USdatedslangFun; amusement.
verb
- 1
To seduce or entice with music.
adjective
- 1
rareMusical.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate music?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of music: mus..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Music in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | musique , partition |
| German | Musikstück, Musik, Tonkunst, Musi |
| Portuguese | música , partitura |
| Spanish | música |
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 music come from?
From Middle English musik, musike, borrowed from Anglo-Norman musik, musike, Old French musique, and their source Latin mūsica, from Ancient Greek μουσική (mousikḗ), from Ancient Greek Μοῦσα (Moûsa, “Muse”), an Ancient Greek deity of the arts. By surface analysis, muse + -ic (“pertaining to”). In this sense, displaced native Old English drēam (“music”), whence Modern English dream. Fully displaced Old English sweġl.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).