butter
but·ter/ˈbʌtɚ/noun, verb
butter is spelled B-U-T-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (but·ter). It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,612th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, butter means “A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of butter is butters.
How many letters and syllables are in butter?
| Letters | 6: B-U-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: but·ter |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,612th 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; 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 butter?
Butter appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,612th 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 butter?
- /ˈbʌtəɹ/
- UK /ˈbʌtə/
- US /ˈbʌtɚ/
Butter has 2 syllables, split but·ter in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-butter.ogg, En-us-butter.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with butter?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as butter from its last stressed vowel (/ʌtəɹ/):
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 butter
- butters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- butta
- buttah
- buttering participle, present
- buttered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does butter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk).
- 2
Any of various foodstuffs made from other foods or oils, similar in consistency to, eaten like or intended as a substitute for butter (preceded by the name of the food used to make it).
peanut butter
- 3
Any of various substances made from other (especially plant-based) oils or fats, used in moisturizers, cosmetics, etc.
- 4
obsoleteAny specific soft substance.
butter of antimony; butter of arsenic
- 5
slangSomething that is smooth, impressive, or appealing. (Compare smooth as butter.)
- 6
slangA smooth plane landing.
That landing was total butter!
- 7
Someone or something that butts.
- 8
Someone or something that butts in; a busybody.
verb
- 1
To spread butter on.
Butter the toast.
- 2
To move one's weight backwards or forwards onto the tips or tails of one's skis or snowboard so only the tip or tail is in contact with the snow. Similar to applying butter to bread with the end of a knife.
- 3
To spin on skis or a snowboard using only the tips or tails being in contact with the snow
- 4
obsoleteslangTo increase (stakes) at every throw of dice, or every game.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Butter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | beurre , beurrer |
| German | Butter, Anke, Budda, Budan , mit Butter bestreichen |
| Portuguese | manteiga , amanteigar, passar manteiga em |
| Spanish | mantequilla, manteca , untar con mantequilla |
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.