rhetoric
/ˈɹɛtəɹɪk/noun, adjective
rhetoric is spelled R-H-E-T-O-R-I-C: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rhetoric means “The art of using language, especially public speaking, as a means to persuade” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rhetoric is rhetorics.
How many letters and syllables are in rhetoric?
| Letters | 8: R-H-E-T-O-R-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 8.9 times per million words; the 7,672nd 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 rhetoric?
Rhetoric appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd 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 rhetoric?
- /ˈɹɛtəɹɪk/
- /ɹɪˈtɒɹɪk/
As an adjective (“Synonym of rhetorical”): /ɹɪˈtɒɹɪk/.
Rhetoric has 3 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-rhetoric2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-rhetoric1.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of rhetoric
- rhetorics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rhetoric mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The art of using language, especially public speaking, as a means to persuade.
- 2
derogatoryMeaningless language with an exaggerated style intended to impress.
It’s only so much rhetoric.
adjective
- 1
Synonym of rhetorical.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate rhetoric?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of rhetoric: rhet..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rhetoric in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense art of using language for persuasion:
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 rhetoric come from?
Inherited from Middle English rhetorik, rhetoric, borrowed from Old French rhetorique, borrowed from Latin rhētorica, borrowed from Ancient Greek ῥητορικὴ (rhētorikḕ), ellipsis of ῥητορῐκή τέχνη (rhētorĭkḗ tékhnē).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).