spouse
/spaʊ̯s/noun, verb
spouse is spelled S-P-O-U-S-E: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, spouse means “A person in a marriage or marital relationship” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of spouse is spouses.
How many letters and syllables are in spouse?
| Letters | 6: S-P-O-U-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 8.9 times per million words; the 7,672nd 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 spouse?
Spouse appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd 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 spouse?
- /spaʊ̯s/
- /spaʊ̯z/
Spouse has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-spouse.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of spouse
- spouses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- spousing participle, present
- spoused participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does spouse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person in a marriage or marital relationship.
People should treat their spouses with respect.
verb
- 1
datedTo wed; to espouse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Spouse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense person in a marriage or marital relationship:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | époux, épouse |
| German | Gatte, Gattin, Ehepartner, Ehepartnerin |
| Portuguese | cônjuge, esposo, esposa |
| Spanish | cónyuge, consorte, cónyugue, prójimo, oíslo |
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 spouse come from?
From Middle English spous, spouse, from Anglo-Norman espus m, espuse f and Old French espos m, espose f and by aphesis from Latin spōnsus m (“bridegroom”), spōnsa f (“bride”), from spondeō (“to vow, pledge”), from Proto-Indo-European *spend-. Displaced native Old English ġemaca. Related to espouse and sponsor.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).