iris
/ˈaɪ.ɹɪs/noun, verb
iris is spelled I-R-I-S: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.8 times per million words in written English, the 10,196th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, iris means “A plant of the genus Iris, common in the northern hemisphere, and generally having attractive blooms (See Iris (plant) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia )” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of iris is irises or irides.
How many letters and syllables are in iris?
| Letters | 4: I-R-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.8 times per million words; the 10,196th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is iris?
Iris appears 5.8 times per million words in written English, the 10,196th 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 iris?
- US /ˈaɪ.ɹɪs/
- Canada /ˈaɪ.ɹɪs/
- Canada [ˈʌɪ.ɹɪs]
Iris 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: En-us-iris.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of iris
- irises plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- irides plural
- irising participle, present
- irised participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does iris mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A plant of the genus Iris, common in the northern hemisphere, and generally having attractive blooms (See Iris (plant) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia ).
- 2
The contractile membrane perforated by the pupil, which adjusts to control the amount of light reaching the retina, and which forms the colored portion of the eye (See Iris (anatomy) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia ).
- 3
A diaphragm used to regulate the size of a hole, especially as a way of controlling the amount of light reaching a lens.
- 4
A rainbow, or other colourful refraction of light.
- 5
A constricted opening in the path inside a waveguide, used to form a resonator.
- 6
The inner circle of an oscillated color spot.
verb
- 1
To open or close in the manner of an iris.
- 2
To cause (something) to shine with the colours of the rainbow; to make iridescent.
noun
- 1
Acronym of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome.
noun
- 1
plural of IRI
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Iris in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | iris |
| German | Iris, Schwertlilie , Regenbogenhaut |
| Portuguese | íris |
| Spanish | lirio , iris |
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 iris come from?
From Middle English iris, from Latin īris, from Ancient Greek ἶρις (îris, “rainbow”). Presuming an earlier form *ϝῖρις (*wîris), possibly from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *w(e)ih₁-ro- (“a twist, thread, cord, wire”), from *weh₁y- (“to turn, twist, weave, plait”). If so, it would be cognate to English wire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).