espalier
/ɪˈspalɪə/noun, verb
espalier is spelled E-S-P-A-L-I-E-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 33 million words in written English, the 176,009th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, espalier means “A latticework used to shape or train the branches of a tree or shrub into a two-dimensional ornamental or useful design, as along a wall or fence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of espalier is espaliers.
How many letters and syllables are in espalier?
| Letters | 8: E-S-P-A-L-I-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 33 million words; the 176,009th 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 espalier?
Espalier appears about once in every 33 million words in written English, the 176,009th 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 espalier?
- UK /ɪˈspalɪə/
- UK /-ˈpæl.i.eɪ/
- UK /ɛs-/
Espalier 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: En-us-espalier.ogg, En-us-espalier2.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of espalier
- espaliers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- espaliering participle, present
- espaliered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does espalier mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A latticework used to shape or train the branches of a tree or shrub into a two-dimensional ornamental or useful design, as along a wall or fence.
- 2
A plant that has been shaped in this manner.
- 3
A row of plants that have been shaped in this manner.
verb
- 1
To train a plant in this manner.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does espalier come from?
Borrowed from French espalier, from Italian spalliera, from spalla (“shoulder”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).