preparedness
/pɹɪˈpɛɹ(ə)dnəs/noun
preparedness is spelled P-R-E-P-A-R-E-D-N-E-S-S: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, preparedness means “The state of being prepared” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of preparedness is preparednesses.
How many letters and syllables are in preparedness?
| Letters | 12: P-R-E-P-A-R-E-D-N-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 19,077th 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 preparedness?
Preparedness appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th 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 preparedness?
- UK /pɹɪˈpɛə(ɹɪ)dnɪs/
- US /pɹɪˈpɛɹ(ə)dnəs/
Preparedness 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)-Vealhurl-preparedness.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of preparedness
- preparednesses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does preparedness mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of being prepared.
preparedness for battle
- 2
Precautionary measures in the face of potential disasters.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Preparedness in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense state of being prepared:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | preparo |
| Spanish | preparación |
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 preparedness come from?
From prepared + -ness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).