insular
in·su·lar/ˈɪnsəlɚ/adjective, noun
insular is spelled I-N-S-U-L-A-R: 7 letters and 3 syllables (in·su·lar). It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, insular means “Of or being, pertaining to, situated on, or resembling an island or islands” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in insular?
| Letters | 7: I-N-S-U-L-A-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: in·su·lar |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,820th 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 insular?
Insular appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th 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 insular?
- UK /ˈɪnsjələ/
- US /ˈɪnsəlɚ/
- US /ˈɪnsjəlɚ/
Insular has 3 syllables, split in·su·lar in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-insular.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with insular?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as insular from its last stressed vowel (/ɪnsələɹ/):
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 insular
- more insular comparative
- most insular superlative
- insulars plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does insular mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or being, pertaining to, situated on, or resembling an island or islands.
Near-synonym: islandic
- 2
Separate or isolated from the surroundings; having little regard for others opinions or prejudices; provincial.
Near-synonym: peninsular
- 3
Having an inward-looking, standoffish, or withdrawn manner.
- 4
Relating to the insula in the brain.
- 5
Relating to insulin.
- 6
(often with a capital letter) Relating to the varieties of a language or languages spoken chiefly on islands. Insular Latin, Latin as it was spoken in Britain and Ireland. Insular Celtic, the Celtic languages of Britain, Ireland and also Brittany, as opposed to those spoken in mainland Europe other than Brittany. Insular Scandinavian, relating to the Icelandic and Faroese languages as opposed to t
noun
- 1
An islander.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Insular 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 insular come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin īnsulāris (“of or belonging to an island”), from īnsula (“an island”), of uncertain origin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).