austere
/ɔˈstiɹ/adjective
austere is spelled A-U-S-T-E-R-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, austere means “Grim or severe in manner or appearance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in austere?
| Letters | 7: A-U-S-T-E-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th 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 austere?
Austere appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th 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 austere?
- UK /ɒˈstɪə(ɹ)/
- UK /ɔːˈstɪə(ɹ)/
- US /ɔˈstiɹ/
Austere 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-austere.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with austere?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as austere from its last stressed vowel (/iɹ/):
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 austere
- austerer comparative
- more austere comparative
- austerest superlative
- most austere superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does austere mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Grim or severe in manner or appearance.
The headmistress was an austere old woman.
- 2
Lacking decoration; trivial; not extravagant or gaudy.
The interior of the church was as austere as the parishioners were dour.
- 3
Adhering to the economic policy of austerity.
- 4
Harsh; astringent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Austere in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 austere come from?
From Ancient Greek αὐστηρός (austērós, “bitter, harsh, astringent”), having the specific meaning “making the tongue dry” (originally used of fruits, wines), related to αὔω (aúō, “to singe”), αὖος (aûos, “dry”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).