pumice
pum·ice/ˈpʌm.ɪs/noun, verb
pumice is spelled P-U-M-I-C-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (pum·ice). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pumice means “A light, porous type of pyroclastic igneous rock, formed during explosive volcanic eruptions when liquid lava is ejected into water or air as a froth…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pumice is pumices.
How many letters and syllables are in pumice?
| Letters | 6: P-U-M-I-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pum·ice |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,337th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
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 pumice?
Pumice appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th 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 pumice?
- /ˈpʌm.ɪs/
Pumice has 2 syllables, split pum·ice in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pumice.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pumice
Sounds like: pomace (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of pumice
- pumices plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pumicing participle, present
- pumiced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pumice mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A light, porous type of pyroclastic igneous rock, formed during explosive volcanic eruptions when liquid lava is ejected into water or air as a froth containing masses of gas bubbles, which are frozen into the rock as the lava solidifies.
verb
- 1
To abrade or roughen with pumice.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pumice in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a light, porous type of pyroclastic igneous rock:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ponce, pierre ponce |
| German | Bims |
| Portuguese | pedra-pomes, púmice |
| Spanish | pumita, piedra pómez, pómez, jal |
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 pumice come from?
From Anglo-Norman and Old French pomis (“pumice stone”), from Latin pūmex (“pumice stone”). Doublet of pounce.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).