onyx
/ˈɒnɪks/noun, adjective
onyx is spelled O-N-Y-X: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, onyx means “A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of onyx is onyxes.
How many letters and syllables are in onyx?
| Letters | 4: O-N-Y-X |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th 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 onyx?
Onyx appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th 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 onyx?
- /ˈɒnɪks/
Onyx 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-onyx.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of onyx
- onyxes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does onyx mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.
- 2
A jet-black color, named after the gemstone.
Near-synonyms: ebony, raven
- 3
Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Horaga.
adjective
- 1
Jet-black; often, glossily so.
Near-synonyms: ebony, raven
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Onyx in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a banded variety of chalcedony:
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 onyx come from?
From Middle English onix (c. 1300), earlier oniche (c. 1250), from Old French oniche or onix, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “onyx”). Doublet of unguis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).