optic
/ˈɑp.tɪk/adjective, noun
optic is spelled O-P-T-I-C: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.5 times per million words in written English, the 12,045th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, optic means “Of, or relating to the eye or to vision” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in optic?
| Letters | 5: O-P-T-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.5 times per million words; the 12,045th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 optic?
Optic appears 4.5 times per million words in written English, the 12,045th 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 optic?
- UK /ˈɒp.tɪk/
- US /ˈɑp.tɪk/
- Canada /ˈɒp.tɪk/
Optic 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-optic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with optic?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as optic from its last stressed vowel (/ɑptɪk/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: topic, picot.
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 optic
- optick
- optique
- optics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does optic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, or relating to the eye or to vision.
- 2
Of, or relating to optics or optical instruments.
noun
- 1
archaicAn eye.
- 2
A lens or other part of an optical instrument that interacts with light.
- 3
A measuring device with a small window, attached to an upside-down bottle, used to dispense alcoholic drinks in a bar.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Optic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of or relating to the eye or to vision:
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 optic come from?
Borrowed from Middle French optique or Medieval Latin opticus, from Ancient Greek ὀπτῐκός (optĭkós, “of or for sight”), from ὀπτός (optós, “visible”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, “-ic”, adjectival suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).