apostle
/əˈpɑsl̩/noun
apostle is spelled A-P-O-S-T-L-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, apostle means “A missionary, or leader of a religious mission, especially one in the early Christian Church (but see Apostle)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of apostle is apostles.
How many letters and syllables are in apostle?
| Letters | 7: A-P-O-S-T-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.9 times per million words; the 15,798th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 apostle?
Apostle appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th 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 apostle?
- US /əˈpɑsl̩/
- UK /əˈpɒs(ə)l/
Apostle has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-apostle.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-Apostle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with apostle?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as apostle from its last stressed vowel (/ɑsl/):
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 apostle
- apostles plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does apostle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A missionary, or leader of a religious mission, especially one in the early Christian Church (but see Apostle).
- 2
A pioneer or early advocate of a particular cause, prophet of a belief.
- 3
A top-ranking ecclesiastical official in the twelve seat administrative council of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- 4
obsoleteA person who is plucked, that is, refused an academic degree.
- 5
A letter dismissory.
- 6
A note sent to an appeals court presenting the appeal in summary.
- 7
The trial court record sent to an appeal court concerning an appeal.
noun
- 1
Any of the group of twelve disciples chosen by Jesus to preach and spread the Gospel.
- 2
A top-ranking ecclesiastical official in the twelve-seat Mormon administrative council.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Apostle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense missionary or leader of a mission:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | apôtre, apôtresse |
| German | Apostel, Apostelin, Jünger |
| Portuguese | apóstolo |
| Spanish | apóstol |
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 apostle come from?
From Middle English apostle, from Old French apostle, from Late Latin apostolus, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos, “one sent forth, apostle”). Merged with Old English apostol, borrowing from the same Latin source.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).