polemic
/pəˈlɛmɪk/noun, adjective
polemic is spelled P-O-L-E-M-I-C: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, polemic means “A person who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of polemic is polemics.
How many letters and syllables are in polemic?
| Letters | 7: P-O-L-E-M-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 polemic?
Polemic appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th 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 polemic?
- /pəˈlɛmɪk/
- /pəˈliːmɪk/
Polemic 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-polemic.ogg, En-us-polemic.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with polemic?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as polemic.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: compile.
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 polemic
- polemics plural
- more polemic comparative
- most polemic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does polemic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics; a controversialist; a disputant.
- 2
An argument or controversy.
- 3
A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.
adjective
- 1
Having the characteristics of a polemic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Polemic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | polémique |
| German | Polemik , polemisch |
| Portuguese | polémica, polêmica , polémico, polêmico |
| Spanish | polémica , polémico |
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 polemic come from?
From French polémique, from Ancient Greek πολεμικός (polemikós, “of war”), from πόλεμος (pólemos, “war”). By surface analysis, polem- + -ic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).