empyema
/ɛm.paɪˈiː.mə/noun
empyema is spelled E-M-P-Y-E-M-A: 7 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 39 million words in written English, the 191,932nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, empyema means “A collection of pus within a naturally existing anatomical cavity (as opposed to an abscess, which occurs in a newly formed cavity)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of empyema is empyemas or empyemata.
How many letters and syllables are in empyema?
| Letters | 7: E-M-P-Y-E-M-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 39 million words; the 191,932nd 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 empyema?
Empyema appears about once in every 39 million words in written English, the 191,932nd 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 empyema?
- UK /ɛm.pʌɪˈiː.mə/
- US /ɛm.paɪˈiː.mə/
Empyema has 4 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with empyema?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as empyema from its last stressed vowel (/imə/):
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 empyema
- empyemas plural
- empyemata plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does empyema mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A collection of pus within a naturally existing anatomical cavity (as opposed to an abscess, which occurs in a newly formed cavity).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Empyema in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense collection of pus:
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 empyema come from?
From Ancient Greek ἐμπύημα (empúēma, “gathering, abscess”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).