panjandrum
/pænˈd͡ʒæn.dɹəm/noun
panjandrum is spelled P-A-N-J-A-N-D-R-U-M: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 49 million words in written English, the 217,360th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, panjandrum means “An important, powerful or influential person; muckamuck” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of panjandrum is panjandrums or panjandra.
How many letters and syllables are in panjandrum?
| Letters | 10: P-A-N-J-A-N-D-R-U-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 49 million words; the 217,360th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is panjandrum?
Panjandrum appears about once in every 49 million words in written English, the 217,360th 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 panjandrum?
- US /pænˈd͡ʒæn.dɹəm/
Panjandrum has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-panjandrum.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of panjandrum
- panjandrums plural
- panjandra plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does panjandrum mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An important, powerful or influential person; muckamuck.
- 2
A self-important or pretentious person.
- 3
A massive, rocket-propelled, explosive-laden cart designed by the British military during World War II.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Panjandrum in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense important, powerful or influential person:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ponte, manitou |
| German | hohes Tier |
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 panjandrum come from?
Coined as a nonce word in the 18th century by British dramatist Samuel Foote.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).