apron
/ˈeɪ.pɹən/noun, verb
apron is spelled A-P-R-O-N: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 18,064th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, apron means “An article of clothing worn over the front of the torso and/or legs for protection from spills; also historically worn by Freemasons and as part of…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of apron is aprons.
How many letters and syllables are in apron?
| Letters | 5: A-P-R-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 18,064th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is apron?
Apron appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 18,064th 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 apron?
- /ˈeɪ.pɹən/
- /ˈeɪ.pəɹn/
Apron has 2 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-apron.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of apron
- aprons plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- aproning participle, present
- aproned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does apron mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An article of clothing worn over the front of the torso and/or legs for protection from spills; also historically worn by Freemasons and as part of women's fashion.
She tied an apron around her waist before cooking dinner.
- 2
The short cassock ordinarily worn by English bishops.
- 3
The paved area of an airport, especially the area where aircraft park away from a terminal.
The plane was parked on the airport apron.
- 4
The spreading end of a driveway.
- 5
The paved area below the yellow line on a racetrack.
- 6
The loading, parking or roadway area immediately beside a railway station or marine terminal.
- 7
The portion of a stage extending towards the audience beyond the proscenium arch in a theatre.
- 8
A large decal toward the bottom of a pinball table.
verb
- 1
To cover with, or as if with, an apron.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Apron in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tablier , tarmac, piste , avant-scène |
| German | Schürze , Vorfeld , Proszenium, Vorbühne , Fußsack |
| Portuguese | avental |
| Spanish | delantal, mandil, excusalí |
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 apron come from?
Rebracketing of napron (a napron → an apron), from Middle English naperoun, napron, apron, from Old French napperon, diminutive of nappe (“tablecloth”), from Latin mappa (“napkin”). For other similar cases of rebracketing, see adder, daffodil, newt, nickname, orange, trickle, umpire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).