killer
kill·er/ˈkɪlɚ/noun, adjective
killer is spelled K-I-L-L-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (kill·er). It appears 30 times per million words in written English, the 3,161st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, killer means “One who or that which kills” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of killer is killers.
How many letters and syllables are in killer?
| Letters | 6: K-I-L-L-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: kill·er |
| In writing | 30 times per million words; the 3,161st 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 killer?
Killer appears 30 times per million words in written English, the 3,161st 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 killer?
- UK /ˈkɪlə/
- UK [ˈkʰɪlə]
- US /ˈkɪlɚ/
Killer has 2 syllables, split kill·er in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-killer.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with killer?
8 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as killer from its last stressed vowel (/ɪləɹ/):
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 killer
- killers plural
- more killer comparative
- most killer superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does killer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One who or that which kills.
There’s a killer on the loose.
- 2
That which causes stress or is extremely difficult, especially that which may cause failure at a task.
That test was a killer.
- 3
Something that is so far ahead of its competition that it effectively kills off that competition.
Digital streaming platforms are CD killers.
- 4
The killer whale.
- 5
A remarkably impressive person or thing.
- 6
A knockout form of darts or pool involving several players.
- 7
A club used for killing fish.
- 8
A particularly heavy type of handstamp, or portion of one, often obscuring a large part of the postage stamp.
adjective
- 1
slangExcellent, very good, cool.
killer feature
- 2
Causing death, destruction, or obliteration.
killer bee
- 3
Distressing, uncomfortable.
I had a killer headache this morning.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Killer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tueur, tueuse, assassin, assassine, meurtrier, meurtrière |
| German | Töter, Töterin, Totschläger, Totschlägerin |
| Portuguese | assassino, assassina, homicida |
| Spanish | matador, matadora , mortífero |
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 killer come from?
From Middle English killer, kyller. By surface analysis, kill + -er.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).