specify
spe·ci·fy/ˈspɛs.əˌfaɪ/verb
specify is spelled S-P-E-C-I-F-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables (spe·ci·fy). It appears 6.0 times per million words in written English, the 9,878th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, specify means “To state explicitly, or in detail, or as a condition” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in specify?
| Letters | 7: S-P-E-C-I-F-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: spe·ci·fy |
| In writing | 6.0 times per million words; the 9,878th 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 specify?
Specify appears 6.0 times per million words in written English, the 9,878th 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 specify?
- UK /ˈspɛs.ɪ.faɪ/
- US /ˈspɛs.əˌfaɪ/
Specify has 3 syllables, split spe·ci·fy in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-I_learned_some_phrases-specify.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of specify
- specifies present, singular, he/she/it
- specifying participle, present
- specified participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does specify mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To state explicitly, or in detail, or as a condition.
- 2
To include in a specification.
- 3
To bring about a specific result.
- 4
obsoleteTo speak explicitly or in detail (often used with of).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Specify in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense state explicitly, in detail, or as a condition:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | spécifier |
| German | spezifizieren |
| Portuguese | especificar |
| Spanish | especificar, circunstanciar, pormenorizar |
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 specify come from?
From Middle English specifien, from Old French specifier, especefier, or directly from Medieval Latin specificō, from specificus (“specific”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).