heterosexual
/ˌhɛtəɹəˈsɛkʃuəl/adjective, noun
heterosexual is spelled H-E-T-E-R-O-S-E-X-U-A-L: 12 letters and 6 syllables. It appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,342nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, heterosexual means “Sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in heterosexual?
| Letters | 12: H-E-T-E-R-O-S-E-X-U-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 6 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.5 times per million words; the 17,342nd 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 heterosexual?
Heterosexual appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,342nd 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 heterosexual?
- US /ˌhɛtəɹəˈsɛkʃuəl/
- US /ˌhɛtəɹoʊˈsɛkʃuəl/
- UK /ˌhɛtəɹəˈsɛkʃuəl/
Heterosexual has 6 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-heterosexual.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with heterosexual?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as heterosexual from its last stressed vowel (/ɛkʃuəl/):
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 heterosexual
- more heterosexual comparative
- most heterosexual superlative
- heterosexuals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does heterosexual mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex.
- 2
Between two people of different sex.
- 3
obsoleteHaving a sexual desire for the opposite sex seen as unhealthy, including a proclivity for nonreproductive sex.
noun
- 1
A heterosexual person, or other heterosexual organism.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Heterosexual in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hétérosexuel , hétéro |
| German | heterosexuell , Heterosexueller, Heterosexuelle, Hetero |
| Portuguese | heterossexual, hétero |
| Spanish | heterosexual , hetero |
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 heterosexual come from?
From hetero- + -sexual.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).