Six Syllable Words: 50+ Real Examples, Checked
Six-syllable words are rare in everyday speech. Most of them are long nouns ending in -ity or -ation, like re·spon·si·bil·i·ty and i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion, or science words like pa·le·on·tol·o·gy.
Many online lists of six-syllable words are full of words that really have four or five. Every word below has been checked and split into its six syllables.
Most Common Six-Syllable Words
- re·spon·si·bil·i·ty
- i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion
- fa·mil·i·ar·i·ty
- o·rig·i·nal·i·ty
- pe·cu·li·ar·i·ty
- sus·tain·a·bil·i·ty
- vul·ner·a·bil·i·ty
- ac·count·a·bil·i·ty
- a·vail·a·bil·i·ty
- com·pat·i·bil·i·ty
- re·li·a·bil·i·ty
- ac·ces·si·bil·i·ty
- de·pend·a·bil·i·ty
- u·ni·ver·sal·i·ty
- in·fe·ri·or·i·ty
- su·pe·ri·or·i·ty
- in·ter·ac·tiv·i·ty
Six-Syllable Words Ending in -ation
- al·pha·bet·i·za·tion
- char·ac·ter·i·za·tion
- com·mer·cial·i·za·tion
- dis·qual·i·fi·ca·tion
- hos·pi·tal·i·za·tion
- mis·com·mu·ni·ca·tion
- mis·in·ter·pre·ta·tion
- o·ver·pop·u·la·tion
- per·son·i·fi·ca·tion
- pop·u·lar·i·za·tion
- vis·u·al·i·za·tion
- ex·com·mu·ni·ca·tion
- mil·i·ta·ri·za·tion
- re·or·gan·i·za·tion
Six-Syllable Science Words
- au·to·bi·og·ra·phy
- bi·o·di·ver·si·ty
- bi·o·tech·nol·o·gy
- pa·le·on·tol·o·gy
- en·do·cri·nol·o·gy
- en·cy·clo·pe·di·a
- e·lec·tro·mag·net·ic
- ex·tra·ter·res·tri·al
- hy·po·al·ler·gen·ic
- in·ter·con·ti·nen·tal
Six-Syllable Adjectives
- in·com·pre·hen·si·ble
- un·i·mag·i·na·ble
- un·rec·og·niz·a·ble
- un·so·phis·ti·cat·ed
- un·con·sti·tu·tion·al
- de·nom·i·na·tion·al
- un·en·thu·si·as·tic
- Med·i·ter·ra·ne·an
- or·gan·i·za·tion·al
- un·der·rep·re·sent·ed
Six-Syllable Words for Kids
- on·o·mat·o·poe·ia
- re·spon·si·bil·i·ty
- bi·o·di·ver·si·ty
- en·cy·clo·pe·di·a
- ex·tra·ter·res·tri·al
- pa·le·on·tol·o·gy
Why Most Six-Syllable Words End in -ity or -ation
English builds very long words by stacking endings. Add -able and then -ity to a verb and you get two extra syllables each time: rely (2) → reliable (4) → re·li·a·bil·i·ty (6). The same thing happens with -ize + -ation: visual → visualize → vis·u·al·i·za·tion.
Using Six-Syllable Words in a Haiku
A six-syllable word is too long for the five-syllable first or last line of a haiku, but it fits the seven-syllable middle line with one short word added: “our responsibility” = 1 + 6 = 7. Check your lines with our haiku checker.
How to Count the Syllables in a Word
- Say the word slowly and clap or tap once for each beat: re·spon·si·bil·i·ty gets 6 claps.
- Count vowel sounds, not vowel letters. Boat has two vowel letters but one vowel sound.
- Ignore a silent “e” at the end. Cake and stone are one syllable each.
- Still not sure? Paste the word or a whole sentence into our free syllable counter.
More Syllable Word Lists
- 1 syllable
- 2 syllables
- 3 syllables
- 4 syllables
- 5 syllables
- 6 syllables
- 7 syllables
- Haiku checker
- Syllable counter
Six-Syllable Words FAQ
Is “onomatopoeia” six syllables?
Yes: on·o·mat·o·poe·ia.
How many syllables are in “responsibility”?
Six: re·spon·si·bil·i·ty.
What are six-syllable words for kids?
Onomatopoeia, biodiversity, encyclopedia, extraterrestrial and paleontology are fun ones for older kids.
Are six-syllable words common?
No. They are mostly formal, scientific or academic words, which is why a correct list is short.
