aureole
/ˈɔɹ.i.oʊl/noun, verb
aureole is spelled A-U-R-E-O-L-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 133,440th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, aureole means “A circle of light or halo around the head of a deity or a saint” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of aureole is aureoles.
How many letters and syllables are in aureole?
| Letters | 7: A-U-R-E-O-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 133,440th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| 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 aureole?
Aureole appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 133,440th 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 aureole?
- UK /ˈɔː.ɹiː.əʊl/
- US /ˈɔɹ.i.oʊl/
Aureole 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-aureole.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with aureole
Sounds like: oriole (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with aureole?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as aureole from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹioʊl/):
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 aureole
- aureoles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- aureoling participle, present
- aureoled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does aureole mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A circle of light or halo around the head of a deity or a saint.
- 2
Any luminous or colored ring that encircles something.
- 3
A corona.
- 4
A ring around an igneous intrusion.
Cleavage and folds are imprinted are overprinted by the contact metamorphic aureole, indicating that they belong to a pre-intrustive episode of rock deformation and accompanying regional deformation.
- 5
Alternative form of aureola (“increment to blessedness”).
verb
- 1
To surround with, or as if with, a halo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Aureole in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense circle of light or halo around the head of a deity:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | auréole |
| German | Heiligenschein, Aureole |
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 aureole come from?
From Middle English aureole, from Old French aureole, from Medieval Latin aureola (corona) (“golden (crown)”). Doublet of oriole.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).