gladiolus
/ɡlædɪˈoʊləs/noun
gladiolus is spelled G-L-A-D-I-O-L-U-S: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gladiolus means “The center part of the sternum” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gladiolus is gladioli or gladioluses.
How many letters and syllables are in gladiolus?
| Letters | 9: G-L-A-D-I-O-L-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 76,798th 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 gladiolus?
Gladiolus appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th 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 gladiolus?
- UK /ɡlædɪˈəʊləs/
- US /ɡlædɪˈoʊləs/
Gladiolus has 4 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-gladiolus.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with gladiolus?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as gladiolus from its last stressed vowel (/oʊləs/):
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 gladiolus
- gladioli plural
- gladioluses plural
- gladiola
- gladiole
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gladiolus mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The center part of the sternum.
- 2
Any of several flowering plants, of the genus Gladiolus, having sword-shaped leaves and showy flowers on spikes; gladiola.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gladiolus in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | mesosterno , gladíolo |
| Spanish | mesosternón, cuerpo del esternón , estoque, gladiolo, gladíolo |
| French | glaïeul |
| German | Gladiole |
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 gladiolus come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin gladiolus (“little sword, sword lily”), diminutive of gladius (“sword”). Compare Middle English gladiol, whence gladiole.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).