pillage
/ˈpɪl.ɪd͡ʒ/verb, noun
pillage is spelled P-I-L-L-A-G-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, pillage means “To loot or plunder by force, especially in time of war” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pillage?
| Letters | 7: P-I-L-L-A-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,863rd 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 pillage?
Pillage appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd 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 pillage?
- /ˈpɪl.ɪd͡ʒ/
- /ˈpɪl.əd͡ʒ/
Pillage 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-pillage.ogg, En-au-pillage.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pillage
- pillages present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- pillaging participle, present
- pillaged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pillage mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To loot or plunder by force, especially in time of war.
noun
- 1
The spoils of war.
- 2
The act of pillaging.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pillage in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | piller , pillage |
| German | plündern , Plünderung |
| Portuguese | pilhar, saquear , saque, butim , pilhagem |
| Spanish | pillar , pillaje |
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 pillage come from?
From Old French pillage, from piller (“plunder”), from an unattested meaning of Late Latin piliō, probably a figurative use of Latin pilō (“to remove (hair)”), from pilus (“hair”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).