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PlainSpell

pace

/peɪs/noun, adjective, verb, preposition

pace is spelled P-A-C-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 24 times per million words in written English, the 3,752nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pace means “A step taken with the foot” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pace is paces.

How many letters and syllables are in pace?

Letters4: P-A-C-E
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing24 times per million words; the 3,752nd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 pace?

Pace appears 24 times per million words in written English, the 3,752nd 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 pace?

  • US /peɪs/

As a preposition (“With all due respect to”): /ˈpætʃeɪ/, /ˈpɑːtʃeɪ/, /ˈpeɪsiː/.

As a noun (“Synonym of Easter”): /peɪs/.

Pace has one syllable (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-pace.ogg, En-au-pace.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Knabrupt-pace.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with pace?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pace from its last stressed vowel (/eɪs/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: cape.

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 pace

  • paces plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • pacing participle, present
  • paced participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does pace mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A step taken with the foot.

  2. 2

    The distance covered in a step (or sometimes two), either vaguely or according to various specific set measurements.

    Even at the duel, standing 10 paces apart, he could have satisfied Aaron’s honor.

  3. 3

    A manner of walking, running or dancing; the rate or style of how someone moves with their feet.

    We set off at a round pace.

  4. 4

    Any of various gaits of a horse, specifically a 2-beat, lateral gait.

  5. 5

    Speed or velocity in general.

  6. 6

    A measure of the hardness of a pitch and of the tendency of a cricket ball to maintain its speed after bouncing.

    He didn't bowl a lot of pace in the first T20I.

  7. 7

    A group of donkeys (asses).

  8. 8

    obsoleteOne's journey or route.

  9. 9

    Synonym of Easter.

adjective

  1. 1

    Describing a bowler who bowls fast balls.

verb

  1. 1

    To walk back and forth in a small distance.

  2. 2

    To walk along or through sth with regular strides.

  3. 3

    To set the speed.

    I helped her train for the marathon by pacing her on a bike.

  4. 4

    To measure by walking.

preposition

  1. 1

    With all due respect to.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Pace in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchpas (step: step), rythme, train, tempo (speed), arpenter, faire les cent pas (to walk to and fro)
GermanSchritt (step: step), Tempo (speed), hin- und herwandern (to walk to and fro), Gangart (way of stepping: rate or style of how someone…), Passgang, Pass (way of stepping: gait of a horse)
Portuguesepasso (step: step), ritmo (speed), com o devido respeito a (With due respect to)
Spanishpaso (step: step), trapalear (to walk to and fro), trote, galope (way of stepping: gait of a horse), moderar la cadencia, comedirse el ritmo (to set a race’s speed)

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 pace come from?

From Middle English pase, from Anglo-Norman pas, Old French pas, and their source, Latin passus. Doublet of pas and fathom; compare also pass. Cognate with pass, Spanish pasear, paso.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after pace