canter
/ˈkæn.tɚ/noun, verb
canter is spelled C-A-N-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, canter means “A gait of a horse between a trot and a gallop, consisting of three beats and a "suspension" phase, where there are no feet on the ground. Also…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of canter is canters.
How many letters and syllables are in canter?
| Letters | 6: C-A-N-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 40,703rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is canter?
Canter appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd 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 canter?
- UK /ˈkæn.tə/
- US /ˈkæn.tɚ/
- US [ˈkɛən.tɚ]
Canter 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-canter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with canter
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with canter?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as canter from its last stressed vowel (/æntəɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: trance, nectar, recant, carnet.
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 canter
- canters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cantering participle, present
- cantered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does canter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A gait of a horse between a trot and a gallop, consisting of three beats and a "suspension" phase, where there are no feet on the ground. Also describing this gait on other four-legged animals.
- 2
A ride on a horse at such speed.
- 3
One who cants or whines; a beggar.
- 4
One who makes hypocritical pretensions to goodness; one who uses canting language.
verb
- 1
To move at such pace.
- 2
To cause to move at a canter; to ride (a horse) at a canter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Canter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense gait:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | petit galop |
| German | Kanter, leichter Galopp |
| Spanish | medio galope |
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 canter come from?
Short for Canterbury pace, from the supposed easy pace of medieval pilgrims to Canterbury.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).