platitude
/ˈplætɪˌt(j)ud/noun
platitude is spelled P-L-A-T-I-T-U-D-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, platitude means “An often-quoted saying that is supposed to be meaningful but has become unoriginal or hackneyed through overuse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of platitude is platitudes.
How many letters and syllables are in platitude?
| Letters | 9: P-L-A-T-I-T-U-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 77,666th 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 platitude?
Platitude appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th 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 platitude?
- UK /ˈplatɪˌtjuːd/
- UK /ˈplatɪˌtʃuːd/
- US /ˈplætɪˌt(j)ud/
Platitude has 3 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-platitude.ogg, En-au-platitude.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with platitude?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as platitude from its last stressed vowel (/ætɪtud/):
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 platitude
- platitudes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does platitude mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An often-quoted saying that is supposed to be meaningful but has become unoriginal or hackneyed through overuse.
- 2
A claim that is trivially true, to the point of being uninteresting.
- 3
Flatness; lack of change, activity, or deviation.
- 4
Unoriginality; triteness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Platitude in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | platitude |
| German | Plattitüde, Gemeinplatz, Klischee, Floskel , Binsenweisheit |
| Portuguese | platitude, clichê, chavão, lugar-comum , banalidade |
| Spanish | tópico, lugar común, platitud |
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 platitude come from?
Borrowed from French platitude, from plat (“flat”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).