eta
/ˈeɪtə/noun
eta is spelled E-T-A: 3 letters. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, eta means “The seventh letter of the Modern Greek alphabet, the eighth in Old Greek” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of eta is etas.
How many letters and syllables are in eta?
| Letters | 3: E-T-A |
|---|---|
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 eta?
Eta appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th 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 eta?
- UK /ˈiːtə/
- US /ˈeɪtə/
As a noun (“A social outcast in Japan who is subjected to menial work…”): /ˈeɪtə/.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-eta_(ee).wav, En-us-eta.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-eta_(ei).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with eta
Also written: ita.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with eta?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as eta from its last stressed vowel (/eɪtə/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: eat, tea, ate.
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 eta
- etas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does eta mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The seventh letter of the Modern Greek alphabet, the eighth in Old Greek.
- 2
A kind of electrically neutral meson having zero spin and isospin.
- 3
A social outcast in Japan who is subjected to menial work, making up a class or caste of such people.
- 4
Alternative form of ita (“kind of palm tree”).
noun
- 1
Initialism of estimated time of arrival.
- 2
Initialism of Electronic Travel Authorization, a type of electronic visa.
- 3
Initialism of Elvis tribute artist, a professional impersonator who performs as Elvis Presley.
verb
- 1
Initialism of edited to add.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of ETA (“Electronic Travel Authorization”)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Eta in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Greek letter:
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 eta come from?
From Ancient Greek ἦτα (êta).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).