pragmatic
/pɹæɡˈmætɪk/adjective, noun
pragmatic is spelled P-R-A-G-M-A-T-I-C: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.1 times per million words in written English, the 15,146th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, pragmatic means “Practical, concerned with making decisions and actions that are useful in practice, not just theory” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pragmatic?
| Letters | 9: P-R-A-G-M-A-T-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.1 times per million words; the 15,146th 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 pragmatic?
Pragmatic appears 3.1 times per million words in written English, the 15,146th 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 pragmatic?
- /pɹæɡˈmætɪk/
Pragmatic 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-pragmatic.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pragmatic
- more pragmatic comparative
- most pragmatic superlative
- pragmatical
- pragmatick
- pragmatique
- pragmatics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pragmatic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Practical, concerned with making decisions and actions that are useful in practice, not just theory.
The sturdy furniture in the student lounge was pragmatic, but unattractive.
- 2
Philosophical; dealing with causes, reasons, and effects, rather than with details and circumstances; said of literature.
- 3
Relating to the field of pragmatics.
- 4
obsoleteInterfering in the affairs of others; officious; meddlesome.
noun
- 1
A man of business.
- 2
A busybody.
- 3
A public decree.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pragmatic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense practical:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pragmatique |
| German | pragmatisch |
| Portuguese | pragmático, prático |
| Spanish | pragmático |
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 pragmatic come from?
From Middle French pragmatique, from Late Latin pragmaticus (“relating to civil affair; in Latin, as a noun, a person versed in the law who furnished arguments and points to advocates and orators, a kind of attorney”), from Ancient Greek πραγματικός (pragmatikós, “active, versed in affairs”), from πρᾶγμα (prâgma, “a thing done, a fact”), in plural πράγματα (prágmata, “affairs, state affairs, public business, etc.”), from πράσσω (prássō, “to do”) (whence English practical).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).