bilateral
/baɪˈlætəɹəl/adjective, noun
bilateral is spelled B-I-L-A-T-E-R-A-L: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, bilateral means “Having two sides” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bilateral?
| Letters | 9: B-I-L-A-T-E-R-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd 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 bilateral?
Bilateral appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 bilateral?
- US /baɪˈlætəɹəl/
Bilateral has 4 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-bilateral.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with bilateral?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as bilateral from its last stressed vowel (/ætəɹəl/):
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 bilateral
- more bilateral comparative
- most bilateral superlative
- bilaterals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bilateral mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having two sides.
- 2
Involving both sides equally.
- 3
Binding on both of the two parties involved.
- 4
Having bilateral symmetry.
- 5
Involving descent or ascent regardless of sex and side of the family (bilateral linearity).
noun
- 1
A meeting between two people or groups.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bilateral in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bilatéral |
| German | zweiseitig , bilateral |
| Portuguese | bilateral |
| Spanish | bilateral |
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 bilateral come from?
From bi- + lateral.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).