onslaught
on·slaught/ˈɒn.slɔːt/noun
onslaught is spelled O-N-S-L-A-U-G-H-T: 9 letters and 2 syllables (on·slaught). It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, onslaught means “A fierce attack” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of onslaught is onslaughts.
How many letters and syllables are in onslaught?
| Letters | 9: O-N-S-L-A-U-G-H-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: on·slaught |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,362nd 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 onslaught?
Onslaught appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd 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 onslaught?
- UK /ˈɒn.slɔːt/
- British /ˈɔnsloːt/
- /ˈɑn.slɔt/
Onslaught has 2 syllables, split on·slaught in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-onslaught.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of onslaught
- onslaughts plural
- anslaight
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does onslaught mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A fierce attack.
- 2
A large number of people or things resembling an attack.
They opened the doors and prepared for the onslaught of holiday shoppers.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Onslaught in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | assaut, offensive , invasion |
| German | Angriff, Ansturm, Strum |
| Portuguese | assalto, investida , invasão |
| Spanish | embestida, ataque, arremetida, acometida , avalancha |
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 onslaught come from?
From on- + slaught. Formed after Middle Dutch aenslag, aenslach, equivalent to aen + slag, although slaught corresponds to Middle Dutch slacht; slag is cognate with the English weaving term sley. Compare Dutch aanslag and German Anschlag.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).