Russian
/ˈɹʌʃ(ə)n/adjective, noun
Russian is spelled R-U-S-S-I-A-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 102 times per million words in written English, the 1,048th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, Russian means “Of or pertaining to Russia or Russians” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in Russian?
| Letters | 7: R-U-S-S-I-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 102 times per million words; the 1,048th 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 Russian?
Russian appears 102 times per million words in written English, the 1,048th 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 Russian?
- US /ˈɹʌʃ(ə)n/
- /ˈɹʊʃ(ə)n/
- /ˈɾʌʃ(ə)n/
Russian 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-Russian.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-Russian.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of Russian
- more Russian comparative
- most Russian superlative
- Ru.
- Russians plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- Russianing participle, present
- Russianed participle, past
- RuSSians plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does Russian mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to Russia or Russians.
- 2
datedOf or pertaining to the Soviet Union.
- 3
datedOf or pertaining to Rus.
- 4
Of or pertaining to the Russian language.
noun
- 1
A native or inhabitant of Russia.
- 2
A person of an East Slavic ethnic group which is native to, and constitutes the majority of the population of, Russia; an ethnic Russian.
- 3
obsoleteA person from the Soviet Union.
- 4
The Russian language.
- 5
A domestic cat breed.
- 6
A cat of this breed.
- 7
rareA type of juggling ball with a hard outer shell, filled with salt, sand or another similar substance.
- 8
slangSomeone from or around Brandon Estate (also known as Moscow).
adjective
- 1
derogatoryoffensiveslangRussian.
noun
- 1
derogatoryoffensiveslangA Russian person.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo compel or force someone as a result of Russian influence or pressure.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Russian in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | russe , ruthénien , Russe , langue russe, langue de Tolstoï |
| German | russisch, russländisch , altrussisch , Russe, Russin, Russländer |
| Portuguese | russo , russa |
| Spanish | ruso , rusa |
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 Russian come from?
From Medieval Latin (11th century) Russiānus, from Russia, a Latinization of the Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ)) + -ānus (“of or pertaining to”). Attested in English (both as a noun and as an adjective) from the 16th century. By surface analysis, Russia + -an. Piecewise doublet of Rossiyan.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).