capillary
cap·il·lar·y/kəˈpɪl.ə.ɹi/adjective, noun
capillary is spelled C-A-P-I-L-L-A-R-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables (cap·il·lar·y). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, capillary means “Resembling or pertaining to hair, especially in slenderness or fineness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in capillary?
| Letters | 9: C-A-P-I-L-L-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: cap·il·lar·y |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,636th 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 capillary?
Capillary appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th 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 capillary?
- Canada /kəˈpɪl.ə.ɹi/
- Canada /ˈkæpɪˌlɛɹi/
- UK /kəˈpɪl.ə.ɹi/
Capillary has 4 syllables, split cap·il·lar·y in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-capillary.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with capillary?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as capillary from its last stressed vowel (/ɪləɹi/, British pronunciation):
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 capillary
- more capillary comparative
- most capillary superlative
- capillaries plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does capillary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Resembling or pertaining to hair, especially in slenderness or fineness.
- 2
Of or pertaining to a narrow tube.
- 3
Of, relating to, or caused by surface tension.
- 4
Of or relating to capillaries in the body or to capillary action.
noun
- 1
Any of the small blood vessels (from 5 to 10 micrometres/micrometers (μm) in diameter) that connect arteries to veins (They are the smallest blood vessels in the body: they convey blood between the arterioles and venules).
- 2
A tube or channel having a very small internal diameter, through which liquid can rise or be drawn by capillary action.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Capillary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | capilaria , capilar |
| French | capillaire |
| German | Kapillare |
| Portuguese | capilar |
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 capillary come from?
From Latin capillāris (“pertaining to the hair”), from capillus (“the hair, properly of the head”), from caput (“head”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).