weapon
weap·on/ˈwɛp.ən/noun, verb
weapon is spelled W-E-A-P-O-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (weap·on). It appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,785th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, weapon means “An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of weapon is weapons.
How many letters and syllables are in weapon?
| Letters | 6: W-E-A-P-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: weap·on |
| In writing | 35 times per million words; the 2,785th 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 weapon?
Weapon appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,785th 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 weapon?
- US /ˈwɛp.ən/
- Australia /ˈwep.ən/
- /ˈwiːp.ən/
Weapon has 2 syllables, split weap·on in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-weapon.wav, En-us-weapon.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of weapon
- weapons plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- weaponing participle, present
- weaponed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does weapon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords.
The club that is now mostly used for golf was once a common weapon.
- 2
An instrument or other means of harming or exerting control over another.
Money is the main weapon of modern oligarchs.
- 3
informalA tool of any kind.
Choose your weapon.
- 4
IrelandUKderogatoryslangAn idiot, an oaf, a fool, a tool; a contemptible or incompetent person.
- 5
AustraliaslangA very skilled, competent, or capable person or thing worthy of awe.
- 6
rareslangThe human genitals.
verb
- 1
To equip with a weapon; to arm.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate weapon?
Wiktionary records 3 abbreviations of weapon: weap, weap., wpn..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Weapon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 weapon come from?
From Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpn, from Proto-West Germanic *wāpn, from Proto-Germanic *wēpną (“weapon”), of unknown origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wēbnom.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).