borderline
/ˈboɹ.dɚˌlaɪn/adjective, adverb, noun, verb
borderline is spelled B-O-R-D-E-R-L-I-N-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, borderline means “Nearly; not clearly on one side or the other of a border or boundary, ambiguous” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in borderline?
| Letters | 10: B-O-R-D-E-R-L-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is borderline?
Borderline appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th 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 borderline?
- US /ˈboɹ.dɚˌlaɪn/
Borderline 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)-Flame,_not_lame-borderline.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with borderline
Also written: border-line (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of borderline
- more borderline comparative
- most borderline superlative
- border-line
- borderlines plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- borderlining participle, present
- borderlined participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does borderline mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Nearly; not clearly on one side or the other of a border or boundary, ambiguous.
I would rather hire a talented layman than a university graduate with borderline qualifications.
- 2
Of questionable taste or acceptability; approaching bad taste.
Your borderline remarks about my aunt’s dress destroyed my evening.
- 3
Exhibiting or characteristic of borderline personality disorder.
adverb
- 1
Nearly; not entirely but nevertheless to a great extent.
He is borderline hypoglycemic and needs to monitor his sugar intake.
noun
- 1
A boundary or accepted division; a border.
She lives on the borderline between reality and madness.
- 2
Ellipsis of borderline personality disorder.
- 3
A person who has borderline personality disorder.
verb
- 1
To border, or border on; to be physically close or conceptually akin to.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Borderline in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | à la limite, limite , frontière |
| German | grenzwertig , Grenzlinie |
| Spanish | frontera, línea divisoria, límite, confín , borderline , rozar |
| Portuguese | fronteira |
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 borderline come from?
From border + line.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).