circle
cir·cle/ˈsɜɹkəl/noun, verb
circle is spelled C-I-R-C-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (cir·cle). It appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,725th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, circle means “A two-dimensional geometric figure, a line, consisting of the set of all those points in a plane that are equally distant from a given point (center)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of circle is circles.
How many letters and syllables are in circle?
| Letters | 6: C-I-R-C-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: cir·cle |
| In writing | 35 times per million words; the 2,725th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 circle?
Circle appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,725th 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 circle?
- US /ˈsɜɹkəl/
- UK /ˈsɜːkəl/
- /ˈsɪɹkəl/
Circle has 2 syllables, split cir·cle in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-circle.ogg, En-au-circle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with circle
Sounds like: cercal (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with circle?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as circle from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹkəl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cleric.
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 circle
- circles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- circling participle, present
- circled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does circle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A two-dimensional geometric figure, a line, consisting of the set of all those points in a plane that are equally distant from a given point (center).
The set of all points (x, y) such that (x − 1)² + y² = r² is a circle of radius r around the point (1, 0).
- 2
colloquialA two-dimensional geometric figure, a disk, consisting of the set of all those points of a plane at a distance less than or equal to a fixed distance (radius) from a given point.
Near-synonyms: coil, ring, loop
- 3
The orbit of an astronomical body.
- 4
A circle of latitude.
the 49th circle
- 5
A state of moving as to follow a circle; a route that forms a circle.
The troops spent ten minutes marching in circle.
- 6
Any shape, curve or arrangement of objects that approximates to or resembles the geometric figures.
Children, please join hands and form a circle.
- 7
Any thin three-dimensional equivalent of the geometric figures.
Cut a circle out of that sheet of metal.
- 8
A curve that more or less forms part or all of a circle.
The crank moves in a circle.
verb
- 1
To travel around along a curved path; to orbit.
The wolves circled the herd of deer.
- 2
To surround; to encompass within a circle.
A high fence circles the enclosure.
- 3
To place in a circle; to make a circle.
We circled stones around him.
- 4
To place or mark a circle around.
Circle the jobs that you are interested in applying for.
- 5
To smoke cannabis in a circle, passing the cannabis around from person to person.
We circled a joint that afternoon.
- 6
To take part in a magic circle.
I circled with that group for three years.
- 7
obsoleteTo add someone to a circle on the social media site Google+.
- 8
To travel in circles.
Vultures circled overhead.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate circle?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of circle: cir..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Circle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cercle , yeux cernés, cerne , cercler , entourer, encercler |
| German | Kreis , Augenringe , umkreisen , einkreisen , Zirkel , kreisen |
| Portuguese | círculo , olheiras , circular , circundar, cercar , disco |
| Spanish | círculo , ojeras , moverse/andar en círculo (s) , tertulia, mundillo , circulo |
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 circle come from?
From Middle English circle, cercle, from Old French cercle and Latin circulus, diminutive of Latin circus (“circle, circus”), from Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos, “circle, ring”), related to Old English hring (“ring”). Compare also Old English ċircul (“circle, zodiac”), which came from the same Latin source.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).