philanthropy
phil·an·thro·py/fəˈlæn.θɹə.pi/noun
philanthropy is spelled P-H-I-L-A-N-T-H-R-O-P-Y: 12 letters and 4 syllables (phil·an·thro·py). It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, philanthropy means “Benevolent altruism with the intention of increasing the well-being of humankind” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of philanthropy is philanthropies.
How many letters and syllables are in philanthropy?
| Letters | 12: P-H-I-L-A-N-T-H-R-O-P-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: phil·an·thro·py |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 19,077th 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 philanthropy?
Philanthropy appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th 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 philanthropy?
- UK /fɪˈlæn.θɹə.pi/
- US /fəˈlæn.θɹə.pi/
- Australia /fɪˈlæn.θɹə.pi/
Philanthropy has 4 syllables, split phil·an·thro·py in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-philanthropy.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-philanthropy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of philanthropy
- philanthropies plural
- phylanthropy
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does philanthropy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Benevolent altruism with the intention of increasing the well-being of humankind.
- 2
Charitable giving, charity.
As public funding is reduced, we depend increasingly on private philanthropy.
- 3
A philanthropic act.
His tombstone lists his various philanthropies.
- 4
A charitable foundation.
the Rockefeller philanthropies
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Philanthropy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense benevolent altruism with the intention of increasing the well-being of mankind:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | philanthropie |
| German | Philantropie, Menschenliebe, Nächstenliebe |
| Portuguese | filantropia |
| Spanish | filantropía |
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 philanthropy come from?
Borrowed from Late Latin philanthrōpia, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek φιλανθρωπία (philanthrōpía). By surface analysis, phil- + -anthropy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).