section
sec·tion/ˈsɛkʃən/noun, verb
section is spelled S-E-C-T-I-O-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables (sec·tion). It appears 100 times per million words in written English, the 1,076th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, section means “A cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of section is sections.
How many letters and syllables are in section?
| Letters | 7: S-E-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sec·tion |
| In writing | 100 times per million words; the 1,076th 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; 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 section?
Section appears 100 times per million words in written English, the 1,076th 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 section?
- US /ˈsɛkʃən/
Section has 2 syllables, split sec·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-section.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with section?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as section from its last stressed vowel (/ɛkʃən/):
- direction
- detection
- perfection
- complexion
- deflection
- interconnection
- imperfection
- flexion
- interjection
- dejection
- circumspection
- bisection
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 section
- sections plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- sectioning participle, present
- sectioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does section mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something.
- 2
A part, piece, subdivision of anything.
- 3
A group of instruments in an orchestra.
The horn section is the group of symphonic musicians who play the French horn.
- 4
A part of a document, especially a major part; often notated with §.
- 5
An act or instance of cutting.
- 6
A cross-section (image that shows an object as if cut along a plane).
- 7
A cross-section perpendicular the longitudinal axis of an aircraft in flight.
- 8
A function that generalizes the notion of the graph of a function; formally, a continuous right inverse to the projection map of a fiber bundle.
verb
- 1
To cut, divide or separate into pieces.
- 2
To reduce to the degree of thinness required for study with the microscope.
- 3
AustraliaUKTo commit (a person) to a hospital for mental health treatment as an involuntary patient. So called after various sections of legal acts regarding mental health.
- 4
To perform a cesarean section on (someone).
You may hear a physician say, "I don't want to section her until the baby declares itself."
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate section?
Wiktionary records 4 abbreviations of section: Sec., sec., sect., sxn.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Section in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | section , article , sectionner , interner |
| German | Abschnitt, Teil, Stück, Reststück, Anschnitt , Sektion |
| Portuguese | seção, secção , secionar, seccionar |
| Spanish | sección , pelotón |
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 section come from?
From Middle English seccioun, from Old French section, from Latin sectiō (“cutting, cutting off, excision, amputation of diseased parts of the body, etc.”), from sectus, past participle of secāre (“to cut”). More at saw.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).