sacred
/ˈseɪkɹɪd/adjective, verb
sacred is spelled S-A-C-R-E-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,752nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sacred means “Characterized by solemn religious ceremony or religious use, especially, in a positive sense; consecrated, made holy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sacred?
| Letters | 6: S-A-C-R-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,752nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 sacred?
Sacred appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,752nd 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 sacred?
- /ˈseɪkɹɪd/
- /ˈseɪkɚd/
As a verb: /ˈseɪkəd/.
Sacred 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-uk-sacred.ogg, En-us-sacred.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-sacred.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sacred?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as sacred.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: scared.
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 sacred
- more sacred comparative
- most sacred superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sacred mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Characterized by solemn religious ceremony or religious use, especially, in a positive sense; consecrated, made holy.
a sacred place
- 2
Religious; relating to religion, or to the services of religion; not secular
- 3
Spiritual; concerned with metaphysics.
- 4
Designated or exalted by a divine sanction; possessing the highest title to obedience, honor, reverence, or veneration; entitled to extreme reverence; venerable.
- 5
Not to be profaned or violated; inviolable.
- 6
Consecrated; dedicated; devoted
- 7
archaicSolemnly devoted, in a bad sense, as to evil, vengeance, curse, or the like; accursed; baleful.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of sacre
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sacred in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense made holy:
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 sacred come from?
From Middle English sacred, isacred, past participle of sacren, sakeren (“to make holy, hallow”), equivalent to sacre + -ed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).