carboniferous
/ˌkɑːbəˈnɪfəɹəs/adjective
carboniferous is spelled C-A-R-B-O-N-I-F-E-R-O-U-S: 13 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, carboniferous means “Containing or producing carbon” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in carboniferous?
| Letters | 13: C-A-R-B-O-N-I-F-E-R-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,974th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 carboniferous?
Carboniferous appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th 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 carboniferous?
- UK /ˌkɑːbəˈnɪfəɹəs/
Carboniferous has 5 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-Carboniferous.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-carboniferous.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with carboniferous?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as carboniferous from its last stressed vowel (/ɪfəɹəs/, 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 carboniferous
- more carboniferous comparative
- most carboniferous superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does carboniferous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Containing or producing carbon.
adjective
- 1
Of a geologic period within the Paleozoic era; comprises the lower, middle and upper Mississippian and lower, middle and upper Pennsylvanian epochs from about 345 to 280 million years ago, when coal was laid down.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Carboniferous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense relating to the geologic period:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | carbonifère |
| German | karbonisch |
| Portuguese | carbonífero, carbónico, carbônico |
| Spanish | carbonífero |
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 carboniferous come from?
From carbon + -i- + -ferous.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).