rudimentary
/ˌɹuːdɪˈmɛntəɹi/adjective, noun
rudimentary is spelled R-U-D-I-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y: 11 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 23,253rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, rudimentary means “Of or relating to one or more rudiments; of the nature of an early stage” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rudimentary?
| Letters | 11: R-U-D-I-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 23,253rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is rudimentary?
Rudimentary appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 23,253rd 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 rudimentary?
- US /ˌɹuːdɪˈmɛntəɹi/
- US /ˌɹuːdɪˈmɛnt͡ʃɹi/
Rudimentary has 5 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)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-rudimentary.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-rudimentary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rudimentary?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as rudimentary from its last stressed vowel (/ɛntəɹi/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of rudimentary
- more rudimentary comparative
- most rudimentary superlative
- rudimentaries plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rudimentary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to one or more rudiments; of the nature of an early stage.
- 2
Basic; minimal; with less than, or only the minimum, necessary.
I have only a rudimentary grasp of chemistry.
noun
- 1
One of the rudimentary (adjective sense 1) mammae of boars.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rudimentary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rudimentaire |
| Portuguese | rudimentar |
| Spanish | rudimentario, rudimental , elemental |
| German | rudimentär, elementar, grundlegend, ansatzhaft, bruchstückhaft |
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 rudimentary come from?
From rudiment + -ary (adjectival suffix), perhaps after New Latin rudīmentārius, from Classical Latin rudīmentum (“first attempt; beginning”) + -ārius (adjectival suffix). Compare French rudimentaire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).