specialist
/ˈspɛʃəlɪst/adjective, noun
specialist is spelled S-P-E-C-I-A-L-I-S-T: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, specialist means “Specialised, involving detailed knowledge of a restricted topic” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in specialist?
| Letters | 10: S-P-E-C-I-A-L-I-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,444th 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 specialist?
Specialist appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th 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 specialist?
- /ˈspɛʃəlɪst/
Specialist has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-specialist.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of specialist
- more specialist comparative
- most specialist superlative
- specialists plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does specialist mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
UKSpecialised, involving detailed knowledge of a restricted topic.
noun
- 1
Someone who is an expert in, or devoted to, some specific branch of study or research.
- 2
A player on a team who primarily employs one particular skill or takes one particular role.
- 3
A physician whose practice is limited to a particular branch of medicine or surgery.
- 4
USAny of several non-commissioned ranks corresponding to that of corporal.
- 5
An organism that is specialized for a particular environment.
The tree Lepidothamnus laxifolius is a high alpine specialist found in high-altitude bog communities and in scrub.
- 6
A stenotopic species.
- 7
A sixth-former at Eton College.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate specialist?
Wiktionary records 4 abbreviations of specialist: spec, specl., speclst, speclst..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Specialist in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense expert:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | spécialiste |
| German | Spezialist, Spezialistin, Fachmann, Fachfrau, Experte, Expertin |
| Portuguese | especialista, expert |
| Spanish | especialista |
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 specialist come from?
Borrowed from French spécialiste, equivalent to special + -ist.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).