axis
ax·is/ˈæksɪs/noun
axis is spelled A-X-I-S: 4 letters and 2 syllables (ax·is). It appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 6,884th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, axis means “An imaginary line around which an object spins (an axis of rotation) or is symmetrically arranged (an axis of symmetry)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of axis is axes or axises; Wiktionary also lists axiis (rare).
How many letters and syllables are in axis?
| Letters | 4: A-X-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ax·is |
| In writing | 10 times per million words; the 6,884th 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; 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 axis?
Axis appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 6,884th 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 axis?
- UK /ˈæksɪs/
- US /ˈæksɪs/
- US /ˈæksəs/
Axis has 2 syllables, split ax·is in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-axis.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with axis?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as axis from its last stressed vowel (/æksɪs/):
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 axis
- axes plural
- axiis plural, rare
- axises plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does axis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An imaginary line around which an object spins (an axis of rotation) or is symmetrically arranged (an axis of symmetry).
The Earth rotates once a day on its axis
- 2
A fixed one-dimensional figure, such as a line or arc, with an origin and orientation and such that its points are in one-to-one correspondence with a set of numbers; an axis forms part of the basis of a space or is used to position and locate data in a graph (a coordinate axis)
- 3
The second cervical vertebra of the spine
- 4
An imaginary, visualized plane separating two morphologically similar parts of an organism
- 5
A form of classification and descriptions of mental disorders or disabilities used in manuals such as the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
- 6
The main stem or central part about which organs or plant parts such as branches are arranged
- 7
An alliance or coalition.
This Berlin-Madrid vertical line is not an obstacle but rather an axis around which can revolve all those European states with a will to collaboration and peace.
- 8
The centre of attention within a process (e.g. the axis of investigation)
- 9
A deer native to Asia, of species Axis axis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Axis 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 axis come from?
Borrowed from Latin axis (“axle, axis”) in the 16th century. Via Latin cognate with ala, aisle, atelier. Via Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs- cognate with inherited English axle and borrowed axo-, axon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).