frequency

The word “frequency” means how often something happens over a given period of time. In plain terms, how often something happens, or the rate of a repeating wave (like radio signals).

“Frequency” is pronounced FREEK-wuhn-see (/ˈfɹiːkwənsi/ in IPA).

Here is “frequency” used in a sentence: “The frequency of storms has increased noticeably over the past decade.”

Words with a similar meaning to “frequency” include freq.

The opposite of “frequency” — its antonyms — is period.

“Frequency” is a noun.

The word “frequency” comes from Latin. From Latin frequentia ("crowd, throng"), related to frequens ("frequent").

“Frequency” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

In physics, the two are inverses: frequency is how many times a wave repeats per unit of time, while the period is how long one complete cycle takes. A wave with a high frequency therefore has a short period.

Wave frequency is measured in hertz (Hz), where one hertz equals one cycle per second. Radio stations, for example, broadcast at frequencies measured in kilohertz or megahertz.

"Rate" is the general term for any quantity measured against another, such as speed or cost per unit. "Frequency" is specifically about how often something happens over a given period of time, so every frequency is a rate, but not every rate is a frequency.

Adverbs of frequency say how often something happens; common ones, from most to least often, include "always," "usually," "often," "sometimes," "rarely," and "never." They usually sit before the main verb but after forms of "be," as in "she is always late" and "she always arrives late."