victim
vic·tim/ˈvɪktɪm/noun, verb
victim is spelled V-I-C-T-I-M: 6 letters and 2 syllables (vic·tim). It appears 36 times per million words in written English, the 2,669th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, victim means “One that is harmed–killed, injured, subjected to oppression, deceit, or otherwise adversely affected–by someone or something, especially another…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of victim is victims.
How many letters and syllables are in victim?
| Letters | 6: V-I-C-T-I-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: vic·tim |
| In writing | 36 times per million words; the 2,669th 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 victim?
Victim appears 36 times per million words in written English, the 2,669th 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 victim?
- /ˈvɪktɪm/
- /ˈvɪktəm/
Victim has 2 syllables, split vic·tim in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-victim.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of victim
- victims plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- victiming participle, present
- victimed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does victim mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One that is harmed–killed, injured, subjected to oppression, deceit, or otherwise adversely affected–by someone or something, especially another person or event, force, or condition; in particular
The victim of the robbery gave a detailed statement.
- 2
One who is harmed or killed by a crime or scam.
victims of assault; the murderer's victims
- 3
One who is harmed or killed by an accident or illness.
a fundraiser for victims of AIDS; a victim of a car crash
- 4
One who is harmed or killed as a result of other people's biases, emotions or incompetence, or their own.
a victim of his own pride; a victim of her own incompetence
- 5
One who is harmed or killed as a result of a natural or man-made disaster or impersonal condition.
relief efforts to help victims of the hurricane
- 6
A living being which is slain and offered as a sacrifice, usually in a religious rite.
- 7
The transfigured body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist.
verb
- 1
nonstandardrareTo make (something) a victim (especially of a ritual sacrifice); to victimize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate victim?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of victim: v..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Victim in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | victime |
| German | Opfer |
| Portuguese | vítima , sacrifício |
| Spanish | víctima |
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 victim come from?
From Middle French victime, from Latin victima (“sacrificial animal”). Although this root and victor drive from homophonous PIE roots, they are traditionally reconstructed as separate words and thus not cognates.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).