penitentiary
/ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəɹi/noun, adjective
penitentiary is spelled P-E-N-I-T-E-N-T-I-A-R-Y: 12 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, penitentiary means “A state or federal prison for convicted felons; (loosely) a prison” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of penitentiary is penitentiaries.
How many letters and syllables are in penitentiary?
| Letters | 12: P-E-N-I-T-E-N-T-I-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,965th 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 penitentiary?
Penitentiary appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th 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 penitentiary?
- /ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəɹi/
Penitentiary has 5 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-penitentiary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of penitentiary
- penitentiaries plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does penitentiary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
USA state or federal prison for convicted felons; (loosely) a prison.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:penitentiary.
- 2
A priest in the Roman Catholic Church who administers the sacrament of penance.
- 3
obsoleteOne who prescribes the rules and measures of penance.
- 4
obsoleteOne who does penance.
- 5
obsoleteA small building in a monastery, or a part of a church, where penitents confessed.
- 6
obsoleteAn office of the papal court which examines cases of conscience, confession, absolution from vows, etc., and delivers decisions, dispensations, etc.; run by a cardinal called the Grand Penitentiary who is appointed by the pope.
- 7
obsoleteAn officer in some dioceses since 1215, vested with power from the bishop to absolve in cases reserved to him.
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to penance; penitential.
- 2
Of or relating to the punishment of criminals.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Penitentiary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pénitencier , pénitentiaire |
| German | Gefängnis , Gefängnis- |
| Portuguese | penitenciária |
| Spanish | penitenciaría |
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 penitentiary come from?
From Middle English penitentiary, from Medieval Latin pēnitentiārius (“place of penitence”), from Latin paenitentia (“penitence”), term used by the Quakers in Pennsylvania during the 1790s, describing a place for penitents to dwell upon their sins.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).