elan
/eɪˈlɑːn/noun
elan is spelled E-L-A-N: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Elan, the name). As a noun, elan means “Uncommon spelling of élan” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of elan is elans or élans.
How many letters and syllables are in elan?
| Letters | 4: E-L-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 elan?
Elan appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Elan, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce elan?
- /eɪˈlɑːn/
- /eɪˈlæn/
Elan 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-élan.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with elan?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as elan.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: lane, lean, neal.
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 elan
- elans plural
- élans plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does elan mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Uncommon spelling of élan.
noun
- 1
Spirit; zeal; ardor.
- 2
Grace; style (especially apparently effortless).
noun
- 1
Acronym of enormous Lyman-alpha nebula.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Elan in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense spirit, zeal:
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 elan come from?
Borrowed from French élan.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).