earwax
/ˈiɹ.wæks/noun
earwax is spelled E-A-R-W-A-X: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, earwax means “A waxy substance secreted by the ear” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of earwax is earwaxes.
How many letters and syllables are in earwax?
| Letters | 6: E-A-R-W-A-X |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 76,798th 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 earwax?
Earwax appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th 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 earwax?
- US /ˈiɹ.wæks/
Earwax 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-earwax.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with earwax
Also written: ear-wax (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of earwax
- earwaxes plural
- ear wax
- ear-wax
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does earwax mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A waxy substance secreted by the ear.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Earwax in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense waxy substance secreted by the ear:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cérumen |
| German | Ohrenschmalz, Zerumen |
| Portuguese | cera de ouvido, cera |
| Spanish | cerumen, cerilla, cera, cera de los oídos |
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 earwax come from?
From Middle English erewax, from ere + wax. Equivalent to ear + wax.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).