alliterate
/əˈlɪ.tə.ɹeɪt/verb
alliterate is spelled A-L-L-I-T-E-R-A-T-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 85 million words in written English, the 293,966th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, alliterate means “To exhibit alliteration” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in alliterate?
| Letters | 10: A-L-L-I-T-E-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 85 million words; the 293,966th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is alliterate?
Alliterate appears about once in every 85 million words in written English, the 293,966th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce alliterate?
- US /əˈlɪ.tə.ɹeɪt/
- US [əˈlɪ.ɾə.ɹeɪt]
Alliterate has 4 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-alliterate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with alliterate?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as alliterate from its last stressed vowel (/ɪtəɹeɪt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of alliterate
- alliterates present, singular, he/she/it
- alliterating participle, present
- alliterated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does alliterate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To exhibit alliteration.
- 2
To use (a word or sound) so as to make alliteration.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Alliterate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to exhibit alliteration:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | allitérer |
| Portuguese | aliterar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does alliterate come from?
Back-formation from alliteration.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).