frequency

frequency — noun

1. how many times an event, action, or situation repeats over a set amount of time,

1.nounB1
Definition

how many times an event, action, or situation repeats over a set amount of time, such as daily, weekly, or yearly

Example

The frequency of Lucía's visits to the dentist is twice a year.

collocation: frequency of + noun phrase describing repeated event

Feng noticed an increase in the frequency of his headaches during the winter months.

increase in the frequency of — common pattern

Common collocations
  • high frequency
  • low frequency
  • increasing frequency
  • with alarming frequency
  • frequency of use
  • word frequency
Synonyms
  • rate

    broader term; can refer to speed or ratio, not just repetition

  • prevalence

    focuses on how widespread something is across a population rather than per-unit time

  • incidence

    formal term often used in statistics or medicine for the number of new cases

Antonyms
  • infrequency

    the quality of happening rarely

  • rarity

    emphasises that something is unusual or uncommon

Usage Note

Often paired with modifiers such as 'high', 'low', 'increasing', 'decreasing', or 'alarming' to show the level of repetition.

Common Mistakes

The frequency of rain tomorrow is 60 percent.
The probability of rain tomorrow is 60 percent.
'frequency' describes how often something happens over time, not the chance of a single event.
I go to the gym with a high frequency every day.
I go to the gym very often / every day.
'with high frequency' sounds unnatural for daily habits; use an adverb instead.

2. in physics, how many full cycles a wave — for example, a sound wave, a light wav

2.nounB2
Definition

in physics, how many full cycles a wave — for example, a sound wave, a light wave, or a radio wave — completes each second

Example

Darius learned that sound waves with a low frequency produce a deep tone.

sound waves + low/high frequency affecting pitch

Greta adjusted the frequency of the signal until the music came through clearly.

Common collocations
  • wave frequency
  • sound frequency
  • light frequency
  • frequency range
  • frequency spectrum
  • low-frequency sounds
  • high-frequency waves
Synonyms
  • pitch

    how high or low a sound seems to the ear; technically related to frequency but not identical

  • oscillation rate

    formal technical term for the speed of vibration

Usage Note

In physics and engineering, frequency is measured in hertz (Hz), where 1 Hz equals one cycle per second. The prefix (kilo-, mega-, giga-) indicates scale.

Common Mistakes

The radio is quiet because the frequency is low.
The radio is quiet because the signal amplitude is low.
frequency affects pitch/tone, not loudness or signal strength.
This sound has a high frequency, so it is very loud.
This sound has a high frequency, so it has a high pitch.
frequency relates to pitch (how high or low a sound is), not volume.

3. a specific point on the range of radio-wave measurements that a radio or televis

3.nounB2
Definition

a specific point on the range of radio-wave measurements that a radio or television station uses to send out its programmes or signals, measured in hertz

Example

Otis turned the radio dial until he found the correct frequency for the sports broadcast.

find/tune to a frequency

The college radio station broadcasts on a frequency of 92.5 megahertz.

broadcasts on a frequency of + number + unit

Common collocations
  • broadcast frequency
  • radio frequency
  • tune to a frequency
  • on a frequency of
  • frequency band
  • FM frequency
Synonyms
  • channel

    commonly used as a practical alternative for a preset frequency, though technically different

  • wavelength

    related but inverse: wavelength = speed of light ÷ frequency

Usage Note

Radio frequencies are usually expressed in megahertz (MHz) for FM and kilohertz (kHz) for AM. Listeners 'tune to' or 'find' a frequency, while stations 'broadcast on' a frequency.

Common Mistakes

My favourite TV show is on frequency 4.
My favourite TV show is on channel 4.
in broadcasting, 'channel' refers to a numbered station; 'frequency' is the technical wave measurement.

Word family

  • frequent
    adjectiveA2
  • frequently
    adverbB1
  • infrequent
    adjectiveB2
  • infrequently
    adverbC1
  • frequenter
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words relate to how often something occurs, but they differ in scope. Rate is the broadest term — it can describe speed (a car's rate of travel) or proportion (the rate of unemployment), not just repetition. Prevalence focuses on how common something is within a group at a given moment, such as the prevalence of a disease in a population. Incidence is more technical and refers specifically to new cases over a period, often used in medical or statistical reports. Regularity emphasises that events happen at consistent intervals: regularity of bus arrivals. Frequency sits between these — it captures both how many times something happens (the frequency of headaches) and how often it tends to occur (with alarming frequency). In everyday English, frequency is the most natural choice when talking about repeated events, while incidence and prevalence belong in formal or academic writing.

rate ↗prevalence ↗incidence ↗regularity

Common collocations

Nouns

  • frequency range
  • frequency level
  • frequency change
  • frequency distribution
  • frequency band
  • frequency spectrum

Adverbs

Phrases

  • with increasing frequency
  • at a frequency of
  • on the same frequency
  • with alarming frequency

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word comes from Latin 'frequentia', which meant 'a crowd, multitude, or large gathering'. 'Frequens' (the root adjective) described something done or happening many times. The word passed through French 'fréquence' before entering English in the 1500s. Its early English meaning was 'a large number of people gathered together', but by the 1600s it had shifted to the modern meaning of 'how often something occurs'. In the 1800s, physicists adopted the word to describe wave cycles per second, giving us the technical senses we use today.