perspicacity
per·spi·cac·i·ty/ˌpɜːɹ.spɪˈkæs.ɪ.ti/noun
perspicacity is spelled P-E-R-S-P-I-C-A-C-I-T-Y: 12 letters and 5 syllables (per·spi·cac·i·ty). It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 130,282nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, perspicacity means “Acute discernment or understanding; insight” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of perspicacity is perspicacities.
How many letters and syllables are in perspicacity?
| Letters | 12: P-E-R-S-P-I-C-A-C-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: per·spi·cac·i·ty |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 130,282nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is perspicacity?
Perspicacity appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 130,282nd 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 perspicacity?
- UK /ˌpɜː.spɪˈkæs.ɪ.ti/
- US /ˌpɜːɹ.spɪˈkæs.ɪ.ti/
Perspicacity has 5 syllables, split per·spi·cac·i·ty in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-perspicacity.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with perspicacity?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as perspicacity from its last stressed vowel (/æsɪti/):
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 perspicacity
- perspicacities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perspicacity mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Acute discernment or understanding; insight.
- 2
The human faculty or power to mentally grasp or understand clearly.
- 3
obsoleteKeen eyesight.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Perspicacity in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | perspicacité |
| German | Weitblick, Scharfsinn , Auffassungsgabe, Auffassungsvermögen |
| Portuguese | perspicácia |
| Spanish | perspicacia |
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 perspicacity come from?
From Middle French perspicacité (whence -acity) or directly from Latin perspicācitās (“sharpsightedness, discrimination”), from perspicāx (“sharp-sighted”), from perspicio, from per- + specio, "see through (something)".
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).