ember
em·ber/ˈɛm.bɚ/noun, adjective
ember is spelled E-M-B-E-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables (em·ber). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Ember, the name). As a noun, ember means “A piece of coal or wood glowing by heat; a hot coal” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ember is embers.
How many letters and syllables are in ember?
| Letters | 5: E-M-B-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: em·ber |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th 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; 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 ember?
Ember appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Ember, 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 ember?
- UK /ˈɛm.bə/
- Australia /ˈem.bə/
- US /ˈɛm.bɚ/
Ember has 2 syllables, split em·ber in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ember.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-ember.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-ember.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ember?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ember from its last stressed vowel (/ɛmbəɹ/):
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 ember
- embers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ember mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A piece of coal or wood glowing by heat; a hot coal.
- 2
Smoldering ash.
adjective
- 1
Making a circuit of the year or the seasons; recurring in each quarter of the year, as certain religious days set apart for fasting and prayer.
ember fasts
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ember in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense glowing piece of coal or wood:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | brandon, braise, tison |
| German | glühende Kohle, Glut |
| Portuguese | brasa |
| Spanish | brasa, ascua, rescoldo, rescaldo (disused), borrajo |
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 ember come from?
From Middle English embre, eymbre, aymer, eymere, emeri, from Old English ǣmyrġe, from Proto-West Germanic *aimuʀjā, from Proto-Germanic *aimuzjǭ, a compound of *aimaz + *uzjǭ. The latter is from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ews- (“to burn”). The b is intrusive and was added in English for ease of pronunciation when the vowel of the second syllable (y) disappeared. See also Old High German eimuria (“pyre”), Danish emmer, Swedish mörja (“embers”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).