boilerplate
boil·er·plate/ˈbɔɪ.ləɹˌpleɪt/noun, adjective, verb
boilerplate is spelled B-O-I-L-E-R-P-L-A-T-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables (boil·er·plate). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, boilerplate means “A sheet of copper or steel used in the construction of a boiler” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of boilerplate is boilerplates.
How many letters and syllables are in boilerplate?
| Letters | 11: B-O-I-L-E-R-P-L-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: boil·er·plate |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,337th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is boilerplate?
Boilerplate appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th 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 boilerplate?
- UK /ˈbɔɪ.ləˌpleɪt/
- US /ˈbɔɪ.ləɹˌpleɪt/
Boilerplate has 3 syllables, split boil·er·plate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-boilerplate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with boilerplate
Also written: boiler plate (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of boilerplate
- boilerplates plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- boiler plate
- boiler-plate
- boilerplating participle, present
- boilerplated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does boilerplate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sheet of copper or steel used in the construction of a boiler.
- 2
Any metal taking the form of sheets used in the construction of a boiler.
- 3
A plate attached to industrial machinery, identifying information such as manufacturer, model number, serial number, and power requirements.
- 4
UKThe rating plate or nameplate required to be affixed to a boiler by the Boiler Explosions Act (1882).
- 5
Syndicated material; repeatable stories, articles or advertisements.
- 6
A copy for the purpose of making other copies.
- 7
Standard text of a legal or official nature added to documents or labels.
They put that boilerplate on all the warning labels.
- 8
A basic contract that can be modified to make different kinds of contracts.
adjective
- 1
Describing text or other material of a standard or routine nature.
The contract contained all the usual boilerplate clauses.
- 2
Formulaic, stereotypical.
- 3
Used to refer to a non-functional spacecraft used to test configuration and procedures.
A boilerplate spacecraft was used to test the rocket.
verb
- 1
To store standard text so that it can easily be retrieved for reuse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Boilerplate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Kesselplatte, Kesselblech , Typenschild, Geräteschild, Kennzeichnung, Leistungsschild |
| Spanish | plancha |
| French | texte standard |
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.