polysyllabic
/ˌpɒ.lɪ.sɪˈlæ.bɪk/
"polysyllabic" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“polysyllabic” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having more than one syllable; having multiple or many syllables.
Corpus desk
Index EN-polysyllabic · polysyllabic · English
polysyllabic · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 12 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | polysyllabic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌpɒ.lɪ.sɪˈlæ.bɪk/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “polysyllabic” in English
Rare enough to double-check
polysyllabic is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌpɒ.lɪ.sɪˈlæ.bɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for polysyllabic in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From poly- + syllabic. The correct English form is polysyllabic, spelled P-O-L-Y-S-Y-L-L-A-B-I-C.
Definition
- 1Having more than one syllable; having multiple or many syllables.
- 2Characterized by or consisting of words having numerous syllables.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how polysyllabic appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"Antidisestablishmentarianism" definitely qualifies as a polysyllabic word.
I have a particularly off-putting predilection for the utilization of ponderously polysyllabic linguistic constructions.
Etymology
From poly- + syllabic.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.