physics
/ˈfɪz.ɪks/noun, verb
physics is spelled P-H-Y-S-I-C-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, physics means “The branch of science concerned with the study of the properties and interactions of space, time, matter and energy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in physics?
| Letters | 7: P-H-Y-S-I-C-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,683rd 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 physics?
Physics appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd 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 physics?
- /ˈfɪz.ɪks/
Physics 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: En-us-physics.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What does physics mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The branch of science concerned with the study of the properties and interactions of space, time, matter and energy.
Newtonian physics was extended by Einstein to explain the effects of travelling near the speed of light; quantum physics extends it to account for the behaviour of atoms.
- 2
The physical aspects of a phenomenon or a system, especially those examined or studied scientifically.
The physics of car crashes would not let Tom Cruise walk away like that.
- 3
plural of physic
verb
- 1
third-person singular simple present indicative of physic
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate physics?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of physics: phys, phys..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Physics in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense branch of science:
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 physics come from?
1580s; from physic (see also -ics), from Middle English phisik, from Old French fisike (“natural science, art of healing”), from Latin physica (“study of nature”), from Ancient Greek φυσική (phusikḗ), feminine singular of φυσικός (phusikós, “natural; physical”), from Ancient Greek φύσις (phúsis, “origin; nature, property”), from Ancient Greek φύω (phúō, “produce; bear; grow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to appear, become, rise up”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).