herculean
/hɜːɹˈkjuːliən/adjective
herculean is spelled H-E-R-C-U-L-E-A-N: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,738th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, herculean means “Alternative letter-case form of Herculean” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in herculean?
| Letters | 9: H-E-R-C-U-L-E-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,738th 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 herculean?
Herculean appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,738th 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 herculean?
- US /hɜːɹˈkjuːliən/
- US /ˌhɜːɹkjəˈliːən/
Herculean 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-Herculean.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with herculean?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as herculean from its last stressed vowel (/uliən/):
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 herculean
- herculian
- more herculean comparative
- most herculean superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does herculean mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of Herculean.
adjective
- 1
Of extraordinary might, power, size, etc.; suggesting Hercules in size or strength.
- 2
Requiring a huge amount of work; of extraordinary difficulty.
a Herculean labour
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Herculean in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of extraordinary might, power, size, etc:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | herculéen |
| German | herkulisch |
| Portuguese | hercúleo |
| Spanish | hercúleo, heracleo, herculino |
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 herculean come from?
From Hercules + -an.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).