threat
/θɹɛt/noun, verb
threat is spelled T-H-R-E-A-T: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 40 times per million words in written English, the 2,487th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, threat means “An expression of intent to injure or punish another” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of threat is threats.
How many letters and syllables are in threat?
| Letters | 6: T-H-R-E-A-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 40 times per million words; the 2,487th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is threat?
Threat appears 40 times per million words in written English, the 2,487th 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 threat?
- US /θɹɛt/
- Australia /θɹet/
- /θɾɛt/
Threat has one syllable (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-threat.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with threat?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as threat from its last stressed vowel (/ɛt/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: hatter.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of threat
- threats plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- threating participle, present
- threated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does threat mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An expression of intent to injure or punish another.
- 2
An indication of potential or imminent danger.
Verifying and addressing actual threats is not paranoia.
- 3
A person or object that is regarded as a danger; a menace.
verb
- 1
To press; urge; compel.
- 2
archaicTo threaten.
- 3
To use threats; act or speak menacingly; threaten.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Threat in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | menace , danger public |
| German | Drohung , Bedrohung |
| Portuguese | ameaça , perigo público |
| Spanish | peligro al público |
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 threat come from?
From Middle English threte, thret, thrat, thræt, threat, from Old English þrēat (“crowd, swarm, troop, army, press; pressure, trouble, calamity, oppression, force, violence, threat”), from Proto-Germanic *þrautaz, closely tied to Proto-Germanic *þrautą (“displeasure, complaint, grievance, labour, toil”), from Proto-Indo-European *trewd- (“to squeeze, push, press”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).