retribution
/ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən/noun
retribution is spelled R-E-T-R-I-B-U-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, retribution means “Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of retribution is retributions.
How many letters and syllables are in retribution?
| Letters | 11: R-E-T-R-I-B-U-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th 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 retribution?
Retribution appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th 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 retribution?
- /ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən/
Retribution 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-retribution.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-retribution.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of retribution
- retributions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does retribution mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Retribution in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vendetta, châtiment, punition |
| German | Vergeltung, Heimzahlung |
| Portuguese | retribuição |
| Spanish | castigo, retribución |
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 retribution come from?
From Latin retribuere (“repay”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).