widespread
/ˌwaɪdˈspɹɛd/adjective
widespread is spelled W-I-D-E-S-P-R-E-A-D: 10 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,206th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, widespread means “Affecting, or found throughout, a large area (e.g. the entire land or body); broad in extent; widely diffused” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in widespread?
| Letters | 10: W-I-D-E-S-P-R-E-A-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 15 times per million words; the 5,206th 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 widespread?
Widespread appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,206th 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 widespread?
- /ˌwaɪdˈspɹɛd/
- /ˈwaɪdˌspɹɛd/
Widespread has 2 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-widespread.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-widespread2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with widespread
Also written: wide-spread (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of widespread
- more widespread comparative
- widerspread comparative, rare
- most widespread superlative
- widestspread rare, superlative
- wide-spread
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does widespread mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Affecting, or found throughout, a large area (e.g. the entire land or body); broad in extent; widely diffused.
widespread belief
- 2
Spread far apart.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Widespread in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense affecting a large area:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | répandu, généralisé |
| German | weitläufig, weitverbreitet, weit verstreut |
| Portuguese | difuso, difundido, amplo, generalizado, lato |
| Spanish | amplio, común, extendido, extenso, generalizado, masivo |
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 widespread come from?
From wide + spread.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).