spectrum

Other forms of spectrum

plural

spectra

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about spectrum

What does spectrum mean?

spectrum means "an ordered array of the components of an emission or wave". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in spectrum?

spectrum has 2 syllables: spec-trum. The stress falls on "spec". In IPA it is /ˈspɛktɹəm/.

Is spectrum a common word?

spectrum is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.