signify
sig·ni·fy/ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪ/verb
signify is spelled S-I-G-N-I-F-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables (sig·ni·fy). It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, signify means “To create a sign out of something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in signify?
| Letters | 7: S-I-G-N-I-F-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: sig·ni·fy |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is signify?
Signify appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,798th 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 signify?
- /ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪ/
Signify has 3 syllables, split sig·ni·fy in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-signify.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of signify
- signifies present, singular, he/she/it
- signifying participle, present
- signified participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does signify mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To create a sign out of something.
- 2
To give (something) a meaning or an importance.
- 3
To show one’s intentions with a sign etc.; to indicate, announce, or portend.
- 4
To mean; to betoken.
- 5
To make a difference; to matter (in negative or interrogative expressions).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Signify in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | signifier |
| German | bedeuten |
| Portuguese | significar |
| Spanish | significar |
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 signify come from?
Inherited from Middle English signifien, from Old French signifier, from Latin significare.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).