beholder
/bɪˈhoʊldɚ/noun
beholder is spelled B-E-H-O-L-D-E-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, beholder means “Someone who observes or beholds; an observer or spectator” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of beholder is beholders.
How many letters and syllables are in beholder?
| Letters | 8: B-E-H-O-L-D-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,565th 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 beholder?
Beholder appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th 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 beholder?
- UK /bɪˈhəʊldə/
- US /bɪˈhoʊldɚ/
Beholder 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-beholder.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with beholder?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as beholder from its last stressed vowel (/oʊldəɹ/):
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 beholder
- beholders plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does beholder mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Someone who observes or beholds; an observer or spectator.
- 2
A fictional monster in roleplaying games, a floating orb of flesh with a large mouth and many eyes on stalks.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Beholder in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense someone who observes or beholds; an observer or spectator:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | regardeur, observateur |
| German | Betrachter, Beobachter |
| Spanish | observador, mirante |
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 beholder come from?
From Middle English behalder, be holdar, beholder, beholdere, biholdar, biholdere, byholdere; equivalent to behold + -er.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).