Rhythm

How to spell rhythm

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce rhythm

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does rhythm mean?

1. nounA strong, regular, repeated pattern of sound, movement, or activity.

Rhythm in a sentence

• The drummer kept a steady rhythm throughout.

• Find a rhythm to your typing.

• Dance to the rhythm of the music.

Where does rhythm come from?

Language of origin: Greek

Rhythm comes from the Greek word rhythmos, which meant a measured flow, an even movement, or a recurring pattern, and was related to the verb rhein, 'to flow'. The Greeks used it both for the cadence of music and poetry and, more broadly, for any regular, repeating motion. Latin took it up as rhythmus, and from there it passed into French as rhythme before reaching English in the late 1500s. The awkward spelling is a direct fossil of the Greek original: the 'rh' preserves the Greek letter rho with its rough breathing, the 'y' stands for the Greek upsilon, and the 'th' represents theta. That cluster of consonants with the lone hidden 'y' as its only vowel is exactly what makes the word such a notorious trap to spell from memory.

How the word is built

• Borrowed whole from Greek, no English breakdown.