fluency

American  

[floo-uhn-see] / ˈflu ən si /

noun

• fluencies
  plural

1. the quality of being fluent or proficient in the spoken or written use of a language, especially a language other than one's first.

2. the ability to express oneself confidently, comfortably, and without hesitation in conversation or discussion; volubility.

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fluency British  

/ ˈfluːənsɪ /

noun

1. the quality of being fluent, esp facility in speech or writing

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonfluency
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fluencies
  plural

Explanation

Do you have a way with words? Can you speak and write easily? Then you have fluency. Fluency is a type of smoothness used most often when talking about language. You could study a language — like Spanish — for years and not really gain fluency. To have fluency — in other words, to be fluent — takes a lot of practice. Fluency can't be achieved overnight. That kind of expert use of language takes time, and it helps if you get a chance to visit a country where they speak the language you're learning.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fluency fluencies

First, another word from Justin: “The lessons I learned around system fluency, decisions and leadership have become even more amplified in the age of AI,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

"AI fluency beats credentials every day. Somebody that has 15, 20 years of experience and no AI fluency will be passed over for those that have, say, three years, but are fast with the tools."

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Like many millennial girls who came of age when diet culture was practically an extracurricular activity, I could mentally toggle between Weight Watchers points and the “Pocket Calorie Counter” with alarming fluency.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

Certifications can improve the AI fluency that employers seek now, said Tanyth Lloyd, Korn Ferry’s global vice president for technology and transformation.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

“I am charmed by the fluency and rapidity of your Reasoning,” Adams observed, “but I doubt your Conclusion.”

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

The consequences of doing anything with a group today demand these fluencies.

From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2021

We have others whose fiction consists of autobiography interspersed with philosophic and political fluencies.

From Another Sheaf by John Galsworthy

Wells than the appealing urgencies, idealisms, and fluencies that I have found most sympathetic and most admirable.

From H. G. Wells by J. D. (John Davys) Beresford

He had not slept well the night before; he was prepared for anything he understood, but computers were not on his roster of acquired fluencies.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Winn Schwartau

“It’s not only that,” said Mrs. Church in the tone of one sated with fluencies and disillusioned of diplomas. 

From Lady Barbarina The Siege of London, An International Episode and Other Tales by Henry James

Related Words

• eloquence