pounce
/paʊns/noun, verb
pounce is spelled P-O-U-N-C-E: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pounce means “A type of fine powder, as of sandarac, or cuttlefish bone, sprinkled over wet ink to dry the ink after writing or on rough paper to smooth the…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pounce is pounces.
How many letters and syllables are in pounce?
| Letters | 6: P-O-U-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th 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 pounce?
Pounce appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th 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 pounce?
- /paʊns/
Pounce has one syllable (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-pounce.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pounce
- pounces plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pouncing participle, present
- pounced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pounce mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A type of fine powder, as of sandarac, or cuttlefish bone, sprinkled over wet ink to dry the ink after writing or on rough paper to smooth the writing surface.
- 2
Charcoal dust, or some other coloured powder for making patterns through perforated designs, used by embroiderers, lacemakers, etc.
- 3
A sudden leaping attack.
- 4
archaicThe claw or talon of a bird of prey.
March 22 1775, Edmund Burke, speech in the House of Commons on conciliation with America You have , indeed , winged ministers of vengeance, who carry your bolts in their pounces to the remotest verge of the sea
- 5
A punch or stamp.
- 6
Cloth worked in eyelet holes.
- 7
Synonym of bump (“sudden movement of underground strata”).
verb
- 1
To sprinkle or rub with pounce powder.
to pounce paper, or a pattern
- 2
To leap into the air intending to seize someone or something.
The kitten pounced at the ball I threw to it.
- 3
To attack suddenly by leaping.
I was awakened from a dead sleep by my child pouncing on top of me from out of nowhere.
- 4
To eagerly seize an opportunity.
I pounced on the chance to get promoted.
- 5
To strike or seize with the talons; to pierce, as with the talons.
- 6
To stamp holes in; to perforate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pounce in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | poudre, sable , sauter sur , fondre sur , trouer, faire un trou |
| German | Löschsand, Schreibsand , anspringen , überfallen, angreifen, (plötzlich) zuschlagen |
| Spanish | arena secante , brincar , atacar, abalanzarse, embestir, acometer |
| Portuguese | dar o bote |
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 pounce come from?
From French ponce, from Latin pūmex. Doublet of pumice.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).