o'clock
/əˈklɑk/adverb
o'clock is spelled O-C-L-O-C-K: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,674th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, o'clock means “In conjunction with a numeral, indicates the time within a twelve-hour period (midnight to noon or noon to midnight), specifically the time when the…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in o'clock?
| Letters | 6: O-C-L-O-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,674th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is o'clock?
O'clock appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,674th 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 o'clock?
- UK /əˈklɒk/
- UK /əʊˈklɒk/
- US /əˈklɑk/
O'clock has 2 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-us-o'clock.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with o'clock?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as o'clock from its last stressed vowel (/ɑk/):
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).
What does o'clock mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In conjunction with a numeral, indicates the time within a twelve-hour period (midnight to noon or noon to midnight), specifically the time when the hour hand of a clock points precisely to the symbol or marking corresponding to the designated numeral, i.e., at the hour.
We are expected to be there at six o'clock in the morning!
- 2
informalUsed to indicate that it is time to do a specific action, or time for a specific action to occur.
I'm feeling peckish; I think it must be nearly dinner o'clock.
- 3
In conjunction with a numeral, indicates the direction, relative to the speaker or a vehicle, especially an aircraft, corresponding to the direction the hour hand is pointing at the time corresponding to the numeral, with twelve representing directly ahead on a horizontal plane, or directly up on a vertical plane, and three being to the right on either.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
O'clock in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | une heure , à une heure |
| German | ein Uhr , um 1 Uhr, um eins |
| Portuguese | uma hora, uma em ponto (hora) , à uma (hora) |
| Spanish | una en punto , a la una, a la una en punto |
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 o'clock come from?
Shortened form of "of the clock", from Middle English of the clokke [from late 14th c.].
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).