idol
/ˈaɪ.dl̩/noun
idol is spelled I-D-O-L: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 8.7 times per million words in written English, the 7,797th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “idle vs idol” about 170 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, idol means “A graven image or representation of anything that is revered, or believed to convey spiritual power” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of idol is idols.
How many letters and syllables are in idol?
| Letters | 4: I-D-O-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 8.7 times per million words; the 7,797th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is idol?
Idol appears 8.7 times per million words in written English, the 7,797th 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 idol?
- UK /ˈaɪ.dl̩/
- UK [ˈaɪ.dl̩]
- US /ˈaɪ.dl̩/
Idol has 2 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-idol.wav, En-us-idol.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with idol
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with idol?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as idol from its last stressed vowel (/aɪdl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: lido, diol, olid, loid.
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 idol
- idols plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does idol mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A graven image or representation of anything that is revered, or believed to convey spiritual power.
- 2
A cultural icon, or especially popular person.
- 3
A popular entertainer, usually young, captivating and attractive, and often female, with an image of being close to fans.
Tom Cruise is his idol.
- 4
obsoleteAn eidolon or phantom; a misleading or elusive image or representation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Idol 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 idol come from?
From Middle English ydole, from Old French idole, from Latin idolum, from Ancient Greek εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image, idol”), from εἶδος (eîdos, “form”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéydos (“seeing, image”), from *weyd- (“to see”). Doublet of aidoru, eidolon, and idolum and related to idea.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).