somewhat
some·what/ˈsʌmwʌt/adverb, noun
somewhat is spelled S-O-M-E-W-H-A-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables (some·what). It appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,725th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, somewhat means “To a limited extent or degree; not completely” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in somewhat?
| Letters | 8: S-O-M-E-W-H-A-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: some·what |
| In writing | 35 times per million words; the 2,725th 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 somewhat?
Somewhat appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,725th 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 somewhat?
- UK /ˈsʌmwɒt/
- US /ˈsʌmwʌt/
Somewhat has 2 syllables, split some·what in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-somewhat.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of somewhat
- summat
- somewhats plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does somewhat mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
To a limited extent or degree; not completely.
The crowd was somewhat larger than expected, perhaps due to the good weather.
- 2
UKVery.
That hat seems somewhat small for him.
noun
- 1
A certain quantity or degree; a part, more or less; something.
- 2
A person or thing of importance; a somebody.
pronoun
- 1
archaicSomething.
a. 1716, Robert Trail, sermon on the Lord's Prayer But this text and theme I am upon, relates to somewhat far higher and greater, than all the beholdings of his glory that ever any saint on earth received.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Somewhat in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense limited extent:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | assez, quelque peu |
| German | etwas, einigermaßen |
| Portuguese | um tanto, meio |
| Spanish | algo, un tanto |
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 somewhat come from?
From some + what.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).