wiseacre
/ˈwaɪzeɪkə(ɹ)/noun, verb
wiseacre is spelled W-I-S-E-A-C-R-E: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 43 million words in written English, the 201,693rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, wiseacre means “One who feigns knowledge or cleverness; one who is wisecracking; an insolent upstart” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of wiseacre is wiseacres.
How many letters and syllables are in wiseacre?
| Letters | 8: W-I-S-E-A-C-R-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 43 million words; the 201,693rd 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 wiseacre?
Wiseacre appears about once in every 43 million words in written English, the 201,693rd 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 wiseacre?
- /ˈwaɪzeɪkə(ɹ)/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-wiseacre.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of wiseacre
- wiseacres plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- wiseacring participle, present
- wiseacred participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wiseacre mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One who feigns knowledge or cleverness; one who is wisecracking; an insolent upstart.
- 2
obsoleteA learned or wise man.
verb
- 1
To act like a wiseacre; to wisecrack.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wiseacre in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one who feigns knowledge or cleverness:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Klugscheißer, Besserwisser, Neunmalkluger |
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 wiseacre come from?
From Middle Dutch wijssegger (“soothsayer”), from Old High German wīzzago, wīzago (“wise man, prophet, soothsayer”), from Proto-West Germanic *wītagō (“wise one; prophet”). Cognate with Old English wītga (“wise man, prophet”). See also German Weissager (“soothsayer, seer”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).