pungent
/ˈpʌnd͡ʒənt/adjective
pungent is spelled P-U-N-G-E-N-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, pungent means “Having a strong odor that stings the nose; said especially of acidic or spicy substances” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pungent?
| Letters | 7: P-U-N-G-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd 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 pungent?
Pungent appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd 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 pungent?
- /ˈpʌnd͡ʒənt/
Pungent has 2 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-pungent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pungent
- more pungent comparative
- most pungent superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pungent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a strong odor that stings the nose; said especially of acidic or spicy substances.
I accidentally dropped the bottle of ammonia and after few seconds, a very pungent stench could be detected.
- 2
Having a strong taste that stings the tongue; said especially of hot (spicy) food, which has a strong and sharp or bitter taste.
- 3
Stinging; acerbic.
The critic gave a pungent review.
- 4
Having a sharp and stiff point.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pungent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | âcre , pointu, piquant |
| German | stechend, beißend, penetrant |
| Spanish | acre, pungente , punzante , acerbo |
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 pungent come from?
Borrowed from Latin pungens (stem pungent-), present participle of pungo (“to sting”). Doublet of poignant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).