pharynx
/ˈfɛɹ.ɪŋks/noun
pharynx is spelled P-H-A-R-Y-N-X: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pharynx means “The part of the alimentary canal and respiratory tract that extends from the back of the mouth and nasal cavity to the larynx and esophagus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pharynx is pharynges or pharynxes.
How many letters and syllables are in pharynx?
| Letters | 7: P-H-A-R-Y-N-X |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 64,400th 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 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 pharynx?
Pharynx appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th 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 pharynx?
- UK /ˈfa.ɹɪŋks/
- US /ˈfɛɹ.ɪŋks/
- US /ˈfæɹ.ɪŋks/
Pharynx has 2 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-pharynx.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pharynx?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pharynx from its last stressed vowel (/ɛɹɪŋks/):
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 pharynx
- pharynges plural
- pharynxes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pharynx mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The part of the alimentary canal and respiratory tract that extends from the back of the mouth and nasal cavity to the larynx and esophagus.
- 2
The part of the alimentary canal immediately behind the mouth in invertebrates that may be thickened and muscular, eversible and toothed, or adapted as a suctorial organ.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pharynx in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense part of the alimentary canal:
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 pharynx come from?
Borrowing from New Latin pharynx, from Ancient Greek φᾰ́ρῠγξ (phắrŭnx, “throat”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).