sudden
sud·den/ˈsʌd.ən/adjective, adverb
sudden is spelled S-U-D-D-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (sud·den). It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,612th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sudden means “Occurring quickly with little or no warning or expectation; instantly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sudden?
| Letters | 6: S-U-D-D-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sud·den |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,612th 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 sudden?
Sudden appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,612th 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 sudden?
- /ˈsʌd.ən/
- [ˈsʌd.n̩]
Sudden has 2 syllables, split sud·den in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-sudden.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sudden
- suddener comparative
- suddenest superlative
- more sudden comparative
- most sudden superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sudden mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Occurring quickly with little or no warning or expectation; instantly.
The sudden drop in temperature left everyone cold and confused.
- 2
obsoleteHastily prepared or employed; quick; rapid.
- 3
obsoleteHasty; violent; rash; precipitate.
adverb
- 1
Suddenly.
noun
- 1
obsoleteAn unexpected occurrence; a surprise.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sudden in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense happening quickly and with little or no warning:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | soudain, subit |
| German | plötzlich, jäh |
| Portuguese | repentino, súbito |
| Spanish | repentino, súbito, brusco, subitáneo |
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 sudden come from?
From Middle English sodeyn, sodain, from Anglo-Norman sodein, from Old French sodain, subdain (“immediate, sudden”), from Vulgar Latin *subitānus (“sudden”), from Latin subitāneus (“sudden”), from subitus (“sudden", literally, "that which has come stealthily”), originally the past participle of subīre (“to come or go stealthily”), from sub (“under”) + īre (“go”). Doublet of subitaneous. Displaced native Old English fǣrlīċ.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).