beta
/ˈbeɪtə/noun, adjective, verb
beta is spelled B-E-T-A: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,121st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, beta means “The second letter of the Greek alphabet (Β, β), preceded by alpha (Α, α) and followed by gamma, (Γ, γ). In modern Greek it represents the voiced…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of beta is betas.
How many letters and syllables are in beta?
| Letters | 4: B-E-T-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 16 times per million words; the 5,121st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 beta?
Beta appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,121st 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 beta?
- UK /ˈbiːtə/
- US /ˈbeɪtə/
- US [ˈbeɪɾə]
Beta 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-beta.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with beta
Sounds like: beater (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with beta?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as beta from its last stressed vowel (/eɪtə/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: beat, bate, abet.
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 beta
- betas plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- betaing participle, present
- betaed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does beta mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The second letter of the Greek alphabet (Β, β), preceded by alpha (Α, α) and followed by gamma, (Γ, γ). In modern Greek it represents the voiced labiodental fricative sound of v found in the English words have and vase.
- 2
rareAn academic grade better than a gamma and worse than an alpha.
- 3
Average sensitivity of a security's price to overall securities market prices.
- 4
The phase of development after alpha testing and before launch, in which software, while not complete, has been released to potential users for testing.
The company is offering a public beta program to test the software.
- 5
Software in such a phase; a preliminary version.
- 6
proscribedAny kind of content from early development that was not used in the final product.
beta levels; beta characters; beta items in a video game
- 7
Information about a route which may aid someone in climbing it.
- 8
A beta particle or beta ray.
- 9
Indiacolloquiala term of endearment, used towards someone of equal or lower standing such as a friend or child, similar to brother or son
Don't pick that up, beta, it's dirty.
adjective
- 1
Identifying a molecular position in an organic chemical compound.
- 2
Designates the second in an order of precedence.
- 3
Preliminary; prerelease. Refers to an incomplete version of a product released for initial testing.
- 4
Associated with the beta male/female archetype.
verb
- 1
To preliminarily release computer software for initial testing prior to final release.
- 2
To beta-read a text.
noun
- 1
A member of Generation Beta.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Beta in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense letter of the Greek alphabet:
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 beta come from?
Borrowed from Ancient Greek βῆτᾰ (bêtă). Doublet of beth.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).