surcharge
/ˈsɜɹt͡ʃɑɹd͡ʒ/noun, verb
surcharge is spelled S-U-R-C-H-A-R-G-E: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, surcharge means “An addition of extra charge on the agreed, stated, or baseline price. Sometimes portrayed by a buyer as excessive and rapacious; usually portrayed by…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of surcharge is surcharges.
How many letters and syllables are in surcharge?
| Letters | 9: S-U-R-C-H-A-R-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,745th 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 surcharge?
Surcharge appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th 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 surcharge?
- UK /ˈsɜːt͡ʃɑːd͡ʒ/
- US /ˈsɜɹt͡ʃɑɹd͡ʒ/
Surcharge has 2 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: En-us-surcharge.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of surcharge
- surcharges plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- surcharging participle, present
- surcharged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does surcharge mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An addition of extra charge on the agreed, stated, or baseline price. Sometimes portrayed by a buyer as excessive and rapacious; usually portrayed by a seller as justified and necessary.
Our airline tickets cost twenty dollars more than we expected because we had to pay a fuel surcharge.
- 2
The part of the price of a subsidized good or service that is not covered by the subsidy and so must be paid by the consumer.
- 3
An overprint on a stamp that alters (usually raises) the original nominal value of the stamp; used especially in times of hyperinflation.
- 4
A painting in lighter enamel over a darker one that serves as the ground.
- 5
A charge that has been omitted from an account as payment of a credit to the charged party
- 6
A penalty for failure to exercise common prudence and skill in the performance of a fiduciary's duties.
- 7
obsoleteAn excessive load or burden.
- 8
obsoleteThe putting, by a commoner, of more animals on the common than he is entitled to.
verb
- 1
To apply a surcharge.
- 2
To overload; to overburden.
to surcharge an animal or a ship; to surcharge a cannon
- 3
To overstock; especially, to put more cattle into (e.g. a common) than one has a right to do, or more than the herbage will sustain.
- 4
To show an omission in (an account) for which credit ought to have been given.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Surcharge in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | surcharge, majoration |
| German | Aufpreis , mit einem Aufpreis versehen |
| Portuguese | sobretaxa , sobretaxar |
| Spanish | sobrecarga, sobretasa, recargo, sobreprecio, encarecimiento, plus |
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 surcharge come from?
From Middle French surcharge, from Old French. By surface analysis, sur- + charge. Piecewise doublet of supercharge.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).