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indian

In·di·an/ˈɪn.di.ən/noun, adjective

indian is spelled I-N-D-I-A-N: 6 letters and 3 syllables (In·di·an). It appears 81 times per million words in written English, the 1,302nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, indian means “Alternative letter-case form of Indian (“indigene”)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of indian is indians.

How many letters and syllables are in indian?

Letters6: I-N-D-I-A-N
Syllables3: In·di·an
In writing81 times per million words; the 1,302nd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 indian?

Indian appears 81 times per million words in written English, the 1,302nd 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 indian?

  • UK /ˈɪn.dɪ.ən/
  • US /ˈɪn.di.ən/
  • /ˈɪnɖ(ɪ)jən/

Indian has 3 syllables, split In·di·an in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-Indian.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with indian?

One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as indian from its last stressed vowel (/ɪndiən/):

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 indian

  • indians plural
  • more indian comparative
  • most indian superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does indian mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Alternative letter-case form of Indian (“indigene”).

adjective

as Indian
  1. 1

    Of or relating to India or its people; or (formerly) of the East Indies.

  2. 2

    obsoleteEastern; Oriental.

  3. 3

    proscribedOf or relating to the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

  4. 4

    CanadaUSproscribedMade with Indian corn or maize.

    Indian bread

  5. 5

    Designating any of various chess openings now characterised by black's attempt to control the board through knights and fianchettoed bishops rather than with a central pawn advance.

noun

as Indian
  1. 1

    A person from India.

  2. 2

    proscribedAn American Indian, a member of one of the indigenous peoples of the Americas (generally excluding the Aleut, Inuit, Metis, and Yupik).

  3. 3

    obsoleteAn indigenous inhabitant of Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific islands.

  4. 4

    Ellipsis of Indian cuisine.

    Have you ever tried Indian?

  5. 5

    UKcolloquialEllipsis of Indian meal (“meal consisting of Indian cuisine”).

    We're going out tonight for an Indian.

  6. 6

    UKcolloquialEllipsis of Indian restaurant (“restaurant serving Indian cuisine”).

    We're going down to the Indian for a curry–wanna join us?

  7. 7

    Ellipsis of Mardi Gras Indian.

  8. 8

    A kind of marble (spherical toy) with colored bands on an opaque black base.

adjective

  1. 1

    Alternative letter-case form of Indian (“indigenous”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Indian in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchindien (of India), amérindien (of the aboriginal people of the Americas), Indien, Indienne (a person from India), amérindienne, Amérindien (individual of, or related to, the aboriginal…)
Germanindisch (of India), indianisch (of the aboriginal people of the Americas), Inder, Inderin (a person from India), Indianer, Indianerin (individual of, or related to, the aboriginal…)
Portugueseindiano, hindu (of India), índio, indígena, ameríndio (of the aboriginal people of the Americas), índia (individual of, or related to, the aboriginal…)
Spanishindio, hindú, indo (of India), indígena, indiano (of the aboriginal people of the Americas), india (a person from India)

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 indian come from?

From Middle English Indien, from Anglo-Norman indien, Middle French indien, corresponding to Ind + -ian or India + -an. Applied to inhabitants of the Americas due to an early misconception that the Americas were the eastern end of Asia / the Indies (hence also the designation of Caribbean islands as the West Indies).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after indian