sustenance
/ˈsʌs.tə.nəns/noun
sustenance is spelled S-U-S-T-E-N-A-N-C-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sustenance means “Something that provides support or nourishment” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sustenance is sustenances.
How many letters and syllables are in sustenance?
| Letters | 10: S-U-S-T-E-N-A-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th 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 sustenance?
Sustenance appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th 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 sustenance?
- /ˈsʌs.tə.nəns/
Sustenance has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-sustenance.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sustenance
- sustenances plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sustenance mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Something that provides support or nourishment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sustenance in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense something that provides support or nourishment:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fondement |
| German | Nahrung, Verpflegung |
| Spanish | sustento, sustentamiento, sostenimiento, mantenencia |
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 sustenance come from?
From Middle English sustenaunce, from Old French sustenance, from sustenir with the suffix -ance, from Vulgar Latin *sustenire, from Latin sustinere. Compare also Late Latin sustinentia. Equivalent to sustain + -ance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).