anus
a·nal/ˈeɪ.nəs/noun
anus is spelled A-N-U-S: 4 letters and 2 syllables (a·nal). It appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, anus means “The external orifice of the rectum in most mammals, teleost fish, and many invertebrates, through which feces and flatus are ejected” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of anus is anuses or ani.
How many letters and syllables are in anus?
| Letters | 4: A-N-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: a·nal |
| In writing | 1.8 times per million words; the 20,906th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is anus?
Anus appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th 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 anus?
- /ˈeɪ.nəs/
Anus has 2 syllables, split a·nal in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-anus.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of anus
- anuses plural
- ani plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does anus mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The external orifice of the rectum in most mammals, teleost fish, and many invertebrates, through which feces and flatus are ejected.
- 2
The anus and rectum, considered as a whole.
- 3
derogatoryinformalAn impolite, unpopular, or unintelligent person.
noun
- 1
plural of añu
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Anus in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense lower opening of the digestive tract:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | anus, trou du cul, trou de cul |
| German | Anus, After |
| Portuguese | ânus |
| Spanish | ano, sisiflís, mufle, nai |
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 anus come from?
Either from Middle French anus or Latin ānus (“ring, anus”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eh₂no- (“ring”). First attested in 1658. See also anal, annular, annelid.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).