sigma
/ˈsɪɡmə/noun, adjective
sigma is spelled S-I-G-M-A: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,731st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sigma means “The eighteenth letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabets (Σ, σ), the twentieth letter of Old and Ancient” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sigma is sigmas or sigmata.
How many letters and syllables are in sigma?
| Letters | 5: S-I-G-M-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,731st 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 sigma?
Sigma appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,731st 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 sigma?
- /ˈsɪɡmə/
Sigma 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-sigma.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sigma?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as sigma.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: magis.
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 sigma
- sigmas plural
- sigmata plural
- more sigma comparative
- most sigma superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sigma mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The eighteenth letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabets (Σ, σ), the twentieth letter of Old and Ancient.
- 2
The symbol Σ, used to indicate summation of a set or series.
- 3
The symbol σ, used to indicate one standard deviation from the mean, particularly in a normal distribution.
- 4
A sigma male (a self-reliant and assertive male).
adjective
- 1
Possessing characteristics of a sigma male.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sigma in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense letter of the Greek alphabet:
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 sigma come from?
From Ancient Greek σῖγμα (sîgma), probably from the root σῑγ- (sīg-) as seen in σίζω (sízō, “to hiss”) + -μα (-ma, nominal suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).