Words / B1

FREEKW-uh-nsee/ˈfriːkwənsi/

Frequency is how often something happens: the frequency of delays; high / low frequency. It is also a technical word for radio waves. Frequent and frequently are related (frequent is already in the dictionary). Rate is a close twin with numbers. Do not write “a frequency of often”.

Meaning

How often something happens; also a radio or electrical measurement.

Examples

• “The frequency of delays made the commute unreliable.”
• “Change the radio frequency, which is the technical sense.”

Good to know

the frequency of + noun; high / low frequency. Related: frequent / frequently. Close: rate. Radio/physics sense. Not “frequency of often”.

Near in meaning

rate

New