specimen
spe·ci·men/ˈspɛsɪmɪn/noun
specimen is spelled S-P-E-C-I-M-E-N: 8 letters and 3 syllables (spe·ci·men). It appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, specimen means “An individual instance that represents a class; an example” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of specimen is specimens; Wiktionary also lists specimina (rare).
How many letters and syllables are in specimen?
| Letters | 8: S-P-E-C-I-M-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: spe·ci·men |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd 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 specimen?
Specimen appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 specimen?
- /ˈspɛsɪmɪn/
Specimen has 3 syllables, split spe·ci·men in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-specimen.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-specimen.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of specimen
- specimens plural
- specimina plural, rare
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does specimen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An individual instance that represents a class; an example.
early specimens of the art of Picasso
- 2
A banknote printed for distribution to central banks to aid in the recognition of banknotes from a country other than their own
- 3
A postage stamp sent to postmasters and postal administrations so that they are able to identify valid stamps and to avoid forgeries
- 4
derogatoryAn unpleasant or contemptible person.
such a loathsome specimen of humanity
- 5
A sample, especially one used for diagnostic analysis.
- 6
An eligible man.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Specimen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | spécimen, exemple |
| German | Exemplar, Muster , Spezimen, Probe |
| Portuguese | espécime, exemplar , amostra |
| Spanish | espécimen , ejemplar |
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 specimen come from?
From Latin specimen (“mark, sign, example”), from speciō (“observe, watch”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).