asphalt
/ˈæʃfɑlt/noun, verb
asphalt is spelled A-S-P-H-A-L-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, asphalt means “A sticky, black to brown and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid, composed almost entirely of bitumen with small mineral particles, that is present…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of asphalt is asphalts.
How many letters and syllables are in asphalt?
| Letters | 7: A-S-P-H-A-L-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.4 times per million words; the 14,307th 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 asphalt?
Asphalt appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th 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 asphalt?
- Canada /ˈæʃfɑlt/
- Canada /ˈæsfɑlt/
- Australia /ˈæʃfɔlt/
Asphalt 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-asphalt.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of asphalt
- asphalts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- asphalting participle, present
- asphalted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does asphalt mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sticky, black to brown and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid, composed almost entirely of bitumen with small mineral particles, that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits.
The mining of asphalt was big business in this area in the early twentieth century.
- 2
Ellipsis of asphalt concrete, a hard ground covering used for roads and walkways.
Near-synonyms: tarmac, tarmacadam, blacktop, bitumen
verb
- 1
To pave with asphalt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Asphalt in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | asphalte |
| German | Asphalt , asphaltieren |
| Portuguese | asfalto , asfaltar |
| Spanish | asfalto, chapopote, chapapote, pisasfalto, neme , hormigón asfáltico |
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 asphalt come from?
From Late Latin asphaltum, from Ancient Greek ἄσφαλτος (ásphaltos, “asphalt, bitumen”). Displaced native Old English eorþtyrewa (literally, "earth-tar").
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).