venerable
/ˈvɛnəɹəbl/adjective
venerable is spelled V-E-N-E-R-A-B-L-E: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, venerable means “Commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in venerable?
| Letters | 9: V-E-N-E-R-A-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,356th 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 venerable?
Venerable appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th 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 venerable?
- /ˈvɛnəɹəbl/
- /ˈvɛnɹəbl/
Venerable 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-venerable.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of venerable
- more venerable comparative
- most venerable superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does venerable mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position.
- 2
Worthy of reverence.
- 3
Ancient, antiquated or archaic.
- 4
Made sacred especially by religious or historical association.
- 5
Giving an impression of aged goodness and benevolence.
adjective
- 1
A form of address for an archdeacon in the Anglican Church.
- 2
The description in the Roman Catholic Church of someone in the first stages of canonisation.
- 3
The description of some saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
noun
- 1
A title indicating respect, prefixed to the names of Buddhist monks and nuns.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate venerable?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of venerable: Ven., ven.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Venerable in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vénérable |
| German | ehrwürdig, geschätzt, respektabel , verehrenswert, verehrungswürdig , veraltet |
| Spanish | venerable |
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 venerable come from?
From Middle French vénérable, from Old French, from Latin venerabilis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).