orphanage
/ˈɔː(ɹ)fənɪd͡ʒ/noun
orphanage is spelled O-R-P-H-A-N-A-G-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, orphanage means “A residential institution for the care and protection of orphans” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of orphanage is orphanages.
How many letters and syllables are in orphanage?
| Letters | 9: O-R-P-H-A-N-A-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th 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 orphanage?
Orphanage appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th 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 orphanage?
- /ˈɔː(ɹ)fənɪd͡ʒ/
Orphanage 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-orphanage.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of orphanage
- orphanages plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does orphanage mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A residential institution for the care and protection of orphans.
Near-synonym: children's home (not always different)
- 2
obsoleteOrphanhood; the state of being an orphan.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Orphanage in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | orphelinat, maison d'enfants |
| German | Waisenhaus, Kinderheim |
| Portuguese | orfanato |
| Spanish | orfanato, casa cuna, hospicio, orfelinato, orfanatorio, casa de expósitos |
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 orphanage come from?
Attested since the 1570s; orphan + -age.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).