transitory
/ˈtɹæn.zɪˌtɔɹ.i/adjective
transitory is spelled T-R-A-N-S-I-T-O-R-Y: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, transitory means “Lasting only a short time; temporary” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in transitory?
| Letters | 10: T-R-A-N-S-I-T-O-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,680th 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 transitory?
Transitory appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th 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 transitory?
- UK /ˈtɹæn.zɪ.t(ə)ɹɪ/
- UK /ˈtɹæn.sɪ.t(ə)ɹɪ/
- US /ˈtɹæn.zɪˌtɔɹ.i/
Transitory has 4 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-transitory.ogg, En-au-transitory.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of transitory
- more transitory comparative
- most transitory superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does transitory mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Lasting only a short time; temporary.
- 2
Of an action: that may be brought in any county
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Transitory in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense lasting only a short time – see also transient, passing:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | passager, provisoire, transitoire |
| German | vorübergehend, flüchtig, vorbeigehend |
| Portuguese | transitório |
| Spanish | transitorio |
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 transitory come from?
From Middle French transitoire, from Old French, from Latin trānsitōrius.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).