external
/ɛkˈstɜɹ.nəl/adjective, noun
external is spelled E-X-T-E-R-N-A-L: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 33 times per million words in written English, the 2,888th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, external means “Outside of something; on the exterior” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in external?
| Letters | 8: E-X-T-E-R-N-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 33 times per million words; the 2,888th 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 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 external?
External appears 33 times per million words in written English, the 2,888th 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 external?
- UK /ɪkˈstɜː.nəl/
- UK /ɛkˈstɜː.nəl/
- US /ɛkˈstɜɹ.nəl/
External 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-external.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with external?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as external from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹnəl/):
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 external
- more external comparative
- most external superlative
- externals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does external mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Outside of something; on the exterior.
This building has some external pipework.
- 2
Situated near or toward the surface of the body.
- 3
Relating to or denoting a medicine or similar substance for use on the outside of the body.
- 4
Having merely the outward appearance of something.
- 5
Not intrinsic or essential.
- 6
Provided by something or someone outside of the entity (object, group, company etc.) considered.
external authority, external force
- 7
Relating to or connected with foreign nations or institutions.
external trade or commerce; the external relations of a state or kingdom
- 8
Having existence independent of the mind.
external reality
noun
- 1
Inessential or superficial features.
- 2
Outward appearance.
- 3
A variable that is defined in the source code but whose value comes from some external source.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate external?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of external: ext..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
External in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense outside of something:
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 external come from?
From Late Middle English, from Medieval Latin externus (“outward, external”), from exter/exterus (“on the outside, outward”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).