precipice
preci·pice/ˈpɹɛsɪpɪs/noun
precipice is spelled P-R-E-C-I-P-I-C-E: 9 letters and 2 syllables (preci·pice). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, precipice means “A very steep cliff” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of precipice is precipices.
How many letters and syllables are in precipice?
| Letters | 9: P-R-E-C-I-P-I-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: preci·pice |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,863rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is precipice?
Precipice appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd 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 precipice?
- /ˈpɹɛsɪpɪs/
- /ˈpɹɛs.ə.pɪs/
Precipice has 2 syllables, split preci·pice in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-precipice.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of precipice
- precipices plural
- præcipice
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does precipice mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A very steep cliff.
- 2
The brink of a dangerous situation.
to stand on a precipice
- 3
obsoleteA headlong fall or descent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Precipice in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense very steep cliff:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | précipice |
| German | Abgrund, Steilhang |
| Portuguese | precipício |
| Spanish | precipicio, despeñadero |
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 precipice come from?
First attested in 1598, from Middle French precipice, from Latin praecipitium (“a steep place”), from praeceps (“steep”), from prae + caput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“head”). Distantly related to precept through Latin praecipiō (“to teach”), from prae + capiō (“take”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-, *keh₂p- (“to hold; to seize”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).