schism
/ˈskɪzəm/noun, verb
schism is spelled S-C-H-I-S-M: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, schism means “A split or separation within a group or organization, typically caused by discord” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of schism is schisms.
How many letters and syllables are in schism?
| Letters | 6: S-C-H-I-S-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,556th 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 schism?
Schism appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th 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 schism?
- /ˈskɪzəm/
- /ˈsɪzəm/
- /ˈʃɪzəm/
Schism 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-schism.ogg, En-us-schism_2.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of schism
- schisms plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- schisming participle, present
- schismed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does schism mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A split or separation within a group or organization, typically caused by discord.
A schism broke the organization into two rivals.
- 2
A movement or organization that splits off from a larger body.
He founded a schism that eventually rivaled the original organization in size.
- 3
A formal division or split within a religious body.
The schism between Sunnis and Shias happened quite early in Islamic history.
- 4
A split within Christianity whereby a group is no longer in communion with the Church or its ecclesiastical authorities, but shares essentially the same beliefs; in other words, a political split without the introduction of heresy.
verb
- 1
To split, divide (a group or organization).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Schism in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | schisme |
| German | Zerwürfnis, Spaltung, Schisma |
| Portuguese | cisão, desmembramento , cisma |
| Spanish | cisma |
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 schism come from?
From Middle English scisme, from Old French cisme or scisme, from Ancient Greek σχίσμα (skhísma, “division”), from σχίζω (skhízō, “I split”). Doublet of schisma. Compare chasm. This word was historically pronounced /ˈsɪzəm/ (and still is among the clergy); the pronunciations /ˈʃɪzəm/, /ˈskɪzəm/ are due to the spelling (the latter may have been reinforced by learned influence); compare schedule.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).