hexameter
he·xa·me·ternoun
hexameter is spelled H-E-X-A-M-E-T-E-R: 9 letters and 4 syllables (he·xa·me·ter). It appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 125,655th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hexameter means “A line in a poem having six metrical feet” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hexameter is hexameters.
How many letters and syllables are in hexameter?
| Letters | 9: H-E-X-A-M-E-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: he·xa·me·ter |
| In writing | about once in every 17 million words; the 125,655th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is hexameter?
Hexameter appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 125,655th 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 hexameter?
Hexameter has 4 syllables, split he·xa·me·ter in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of hexameter
- hexameters plural
- hexametre
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hexameter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A line in a poem having six metrical feet.
- 2
A poetic metre in which each line has six feet.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hexameter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 hexameter come from?
From Ancient Greek ἑξάμετρος (hexámetros). Equivalent to hexa- + meter. Piecewise doublet of sexameter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).