amber
am·ber/ˈæm.bəː/noun, adjective, verb
amber is spelled A-M-B-E-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables (am·ber). It appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Amber, the name). As a noun, amber means “A hard, generally yellow to brown translucent or transparent fossil resin from extinct coniferous trees of the pine genus, used for jewellery…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of amber is ambers.
How many letters and syllables are in amber?
| Letters | 5: A-M-B-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: am·ber |
| In writing | 9.3 times per million words; the 7,445th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 amber?
Amber appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Amber, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce amber?
- UK /ˈæm.bəː/
- UK [ˈæm.bəː]
- /ˈæm.bəː/
Amber has 2 syllables, split am·ber in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-amber.ogg, En-us-amber.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with amber?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as amber (/æmbə/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: bream, brame, embar.
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 amber
- ambers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more amber comparative
- most amber superlative
- ambering participle, present
- ambered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does amber mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteAmbergris, the waxy product of the sperm whale.
As for Amber Grice, or Amber Cane, which ist most sweet myngled with other sweete thynges: some say it commeth from the rocks of the Sea. […] Some say it is gotten by a fish called Azelum, which feedeth upon Amber Grece, and dyeth, which is
- 2
obsoleteFormerly thought to be the product of a plant.
- 3
A hard, generally yellow to brown translucent or transparent fossil resin from extinct coniferous trees of the pine genus, used for jewellery, decoration and later dissolved as a binder in varnishes. One variety, blue amber, appears blue rather than yellow under direct sunlight.
To shew this by example, we reade of Sabina Poppcea, to whom nothing was wanting, but shame and honestie, being extremely beloved of Nero, had the colour of her haire yellow, like Amber, which Nero esteemed much of, […] .
- 4
A yellow-orange colour.
- 5
AustraliaCommonwealthUKThe intermediate light in a set of three traffic lights, which when illuminated indicates that drivers should stop when safe to do so. See also yellow light.
- 6
The stop codon (nucleotide triplet) "UAG", or a mutant which has this stop codon at a premature place in its DNA sequence.
an amber codon, an amber mutation, an amber suppressor
- 7
Hesitance to proceed, or limited approval to proceed; an amber light.
adjective
- 1
Of a brownish yellow colour, like that of most amber.
verb
- 1
rareTo perfume or flavour with ambergris.
ambered wine, an ambered room
- 2
rareTo preserve in amber.
an ambered fly
- 3
rareTo cause to take on the yellow colour of amber.
- 4
rareTo take on the yellow colour of amber.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Amber in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ambre, ambre jaune , couleur d'ambre , feu orange , ambré |
| German | Bernstein , Bernsteingelb , Gelb , bernsteinen |
| Portuguese | âmbar, alambre , amarelo , ambarino |
| Spanish | ámbar , ambarino, de color ámbar |
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 amber come from?
From Middle English ambre, aumbre, from Old French aumbre, ambre, from Arabic عَنْبَر (ʕanbar, “ambergris”), from Middle Persian 𐭠𐭭𐭡𐭫 (ʾnbl /ambar/, “ambergris”). Compare English lamber, ambergris. Displaced Middle English smulting (from Old English smelting (“amber”)), Old English eolhsand (“amber”), Old English glær (“amber”), and Old English sāp (“amber, resin, pomade”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).