clitoris
/ˈklɪtəɹɪs/noun
clitoris is spelled C-L-I-T-O-R-I-S: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,789th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, clitoris means “A sensitive elongated erectile sex organ at the anterior part of the vulva in female humans and other mammals” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of clitoris is clitorises or clitorides.
How many letters and syllables are in clitoris?
| Letters | 8: C-L-I-T-O-R-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,789th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is clitoris?
Clitoris appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,789th 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 clitoris?
- /ˈklɪtəɹɪs/
- /klɪˈtɔːɹɪs/
Clitoris has 3 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-clitoris.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of clitoris
- clitorises plural
- clitorides plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does clitoris mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sensitive elongated erectile sex organ at the anterior part of the vulva in female humans and other mammals.
stimulate the clitoris
- 2
A similar erectile sexual organ present in the cloacas of female amniotes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate clitoris?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of clitoris: clit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Clitoris in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense elongated erectile organ:
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 clitoris come from?
From post-classical New Latin clītoris (16th century), from Koine Greek κλειτορίς (kleitorís), probably from Ancient Greek κλείω (kleíō, “to sheathe, shut”), in reference to it being covered by the labia minora. The related noun form κλείς (kleís) has a second meaning of "a key, a latch or hook (to close a door)." Wooden pegs were the original keys; a connection also revealed in Latin clavis (“nail”) and claudere (“to shut”) (see close).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).