turbulent
tur·bu·lent/ˈtɝbjələnt/adjective
turbulent is spelled T-U-R-B-U-L-E-N-T: 9 letters and 3 syllables (tur·bu·lent). It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, turbulent means “Violently disturbed or agitated; tempestuous, tumultuous” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in turbulent?
| Letters | 9: T-U-R-B-U-L-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: tur·bu·lent |
| In writing | 3.0 times per million words; the 15,613th 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 turbulent?
Turbulent appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th 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 turbulent?
- UK /ˈtɜːbjələnt/
- US /ˈtɝbjələnt/
- Australia /ˈtɜːbjələnt/
Turbulent has 3 syllables, split tur·bu·lent in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-turbulent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of turbulent
- more turbulent comparative
- most turbulent superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does turbulent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Violently disturbed or agitated; tempestuous, tumultuous.
It is dangerous to sail in turbulent seas.
- 2
Being in, or causing, disturbance or unrest.
The mid-19th century was a turbulent time in American history.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Turbulent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense violently disturbed or agitated:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mouvementé |
| Portuguese | turbulento, atribulado, agitado |
| Spanish | tempestuoso, agitado, accidentado, turbulento |
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 turbulent come from?
From Middle English turbulent, from Middle French turbulent, from Latin turbulentus, from turba (“disorder, tumult, crowd”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).