timpani
tim·pa·ni/ˈtɪmpəni/noun
timpani is spelled T-I-M-P-A-N-I: 7 letters and 3 syllables (tim·pa·ni). It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 75,877th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, timpani means “The set of precision kettledrums in an orchestra” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of timpani is timpanis.
How many letters and syllables are in timpani?
| Letters | 7: T-I-M-P-A-N-I |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: tim·pa·ni |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 75,877th 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 timpani?
Timpani appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 75,877th 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 timpani?
- /ˈtɪmpəni/
Timpani has 3 syllables, split tim·pa·ni in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Persent101-timpani.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of timpani
- timpanis plural
- tympani
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does timpani mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The set of precision kettledrums in an orchestra.
- 2
plural of timpano
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate timpani?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of timpani: Timp..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Timpani in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense kettledrums:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | timbales |
| German | Pauke, Kesselpauken |
| Portuguese | tímpanos, timbales |
| Spanish | tímpano, tímpanos |
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 timpani come from?
Borrowed from Italian timpani, plural of timpano (“drum”), from Latin tympanum (“drum”), from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon), from τύπτω (túptō, “to strike, to hit”). Doublet of tympanum, timbre, timbal, and tymbal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).