oath
/ˈoʊθ/noun
oath is spelled O-A-T-H: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, oath means “A solemn pledge or promise that invokes a deity, a ruler, or another entity (not necessarily present) to attest the truth of a statement or sincerity…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of oath is oaths.
How many letters and syllables are in oath?
| Letters | 4: O-A-T-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 9.1 times per million words; the 7,553rd 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 oath?
Oath appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd 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 oath?
- UK /ˈəʊθ/
- US /ˈoʊθ/
Oath has one syllable (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-oath.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with oath
Also written: oth.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with oath?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as oath from its last stressed vowel (/oʊθ/):
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 oath
- oaths plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- oathing participle, present
- oathed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does oath mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A solemn pledge or promise that invokes a deity, a ruler, or another entity (not necessarily present) to attest the truth of a statement or sincerity of one's desire to fulfill a contract or promise.
take an oath
- 2
A statement or promise which is strengthened (affirmed) by such a pledge.
After taking the oath of office, she became the country's forty-third premier.
- 3
A light, irreverent or insulting appeal to a deity or other entity.
- 4
A curse, a curse word.
verb
- 1
archaicTo pledge.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Oath in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | serment , juron , jurer |
| German | Eid, Schwur , Fluch |
| Portuguese | juramento, jura, promessa , palavrão , jurar |
| Spanish | juramento, juramiento |
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 oath come from?
From Middle English ooth, oth, ath, from Old English āþ (“oath”), from Proto-West Germanic *aiþ (“oath”), from Proto-Germanic *aiþaz (“oath”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).