polytechnic
adjective, noun
polytechnic is spelled P-O-L-Y-T-E-C-H-N-I-C: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, polytechnic means “That teaches applied arts, sciences, technology, engineering and other academic subjects” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in polytechnic?
| Letters | 11: P-O-L-Y-T-E-C-H-N-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,965th 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 polytechnic?
Polytechnic appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th 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 polytechnic?
- US
Polytechnic has 4 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-polytechnic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of polytechnic
- polytechnics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does polytechnic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
That teaches applied arts, sciences, technology, engineering and other academic subjects.
noun
- 1
UKdatedAn educational institute that teaches applied arts and sciences rather than academic subjects.
- 2
obsoleteAn exhibition of objects illustrating many arts.
- 3
A three-year post-secondary vocational training institute, equivalent of community college in the U.S. or TAFE in Australia.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Polytechnic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | polytechnique |
| Spanish | politécnico , politécnica |
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 polytechnic come from?
First attested in 1805. From French polytechnique, from the École polytechnique, engineering school founded 1794 in Paris; from Greek πολύτεχνος "skilled in many arts," from πολύς "many" (see poly-) + τέχνη "art" (see technic).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).