tantrum
/ˈtæn.tɹʌm/noun, verb
tantrum is spelled T-A-N-T-R-U-M: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tantrum means “An often childish display or fit of bad temper” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tantrum is tantrums.
How many letters and syllables are in tantrum?
| Letters | 7: T-A-N-T-R-U-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,463rd 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 tantrum?
Tantrum appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,463rd 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 tantrum?
- /ˈtæn.tɹʌm/
Tantrum 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-tantrum.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tantrum
- tantrums plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tantruming participle, present
- tantrumming participle, present
- tantrumed participle, past
- tantrummed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tantrum mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An often childish display or fit of bad temper.
Many parents become embarrassed by their children throwing tantrums in public places.
verb
- 1
To throw a tantrum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tantrum in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense often childish display of bad temper:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | excès de colère, caprice |
| German | Wutanfall, Ausraster, Koller, Tobsuchtsanfall |
| Portuguese | birra, chilique, piti, pirraça, choradeira |
| Spanish | rabieta, berrinche, pataleta, cortón, corajina, perrera |
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 tantrum come from?
From earlier tanterum. Further etymology unknown.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).