howler
howl·er/ˈhaʊlɚ/noun
howler is spelled H-O-W-L-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (howl·er). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, howler means “That which howls, especially an animal such as a wolf or a howler monkey” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of howler is howlers.
How many letters and syllables are in howler?
| Letters | 6: H-O-W-L-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: howl·er |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,337th 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; 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 howler?
Howler appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th 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 howler?
- US /ˈhaʊlɚ/
- UK /ˈhaʊlə/
Howler has 2 syllables, split howl·er in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-howler.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with howler?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as howler from its last stressed vowel (/aʊləɹ/):
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 howler
- howlers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does howler mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
That which howls, especially an animal such as a wolf or a howler monkey.
- 2
A person hired to howl in mourning at a funeral.
- 3
slangA painfully obvious mistake.
Given what we know about cognitive psychology, utility maximization is a ludicrous concept; equilibrium pretty foolish outside of financial markets; perfect competition a howler for most industries.
- 4
slangA hilarious joke.
- 5
slangA bitterly cold day.
- 6
A person who expresses aggression openly in the form of threats.
- 7
A heavy fall.
- 8
slangA serious accident (especially to come a howler or go a howler; compare come a cropper).
Our hansom came a howler.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Howler 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 howler come from?
From howl + -er. Some senses are derivatives of the intensifier "howling", as in "howling wilderness", (Deuteronomy 32:10)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).