ornament
/ˈɔɹnəmənt/noun, verb
ornament is spelled O-R-N-A-M-E-N-T: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ornament means “An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ornament is ornaments.
How many letters and syllables are in ornament?
| Letters | 8: O-R-N-A-M-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 19,077th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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 ornament?
Ornament appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th 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 ornament?
- UK /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/
- US /ˈɔɹnəmənt/
- /ˈɔɹdəmənt/
As a verb (“To decorate”): /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/, /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəˌmɛnt/, /ˈɔɹnəmənt/.
Ornament has 3 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-ornament.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ornament?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as ornament (/ɔɹnəmənt/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: tenorman.
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 ornament
- ornaments plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ornamenting participle, present
- ornamented participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ornament mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns.
- 2
Christmas ornament: a Christmas tree decoration.
- 3
A musical flourish that is unnecessary to the overall melodic or harmonic line, but serves to decorate that line.
- 4
The articles used in church services.
- 5
A characteristic that has a decorative function (typically in order to attract a mate)
verb
- 1
To decorate.
We will ornament the windows with trim to make the room seem brighter.
- 2
To add to.
The editor ornamented his plain writing, making it fancier but less clear.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ornament in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ornement , ornement musical |
| German | Verzierung , musikalische Verzierung |
| Portuguese | ornamento, ornato, enfeite , ornamentar, ornar, decorar |
| Spanish | ornamento , ornamento musical |
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 ornament come from?
From Middle English ornament, from Old French ornement, from Latin ornamentum (“equipment, apparatus, furniture, trappings, adornment, embellishment”), from ornāre (“to equip, adorn”). The verb is derived from the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).