lambda
/ˈlæm.də/noun
lambda is spelled L-A-M-B-D-A: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Lambda, the name). As a noun, lambda means “The eleventh letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabet, the twelfth of the Old Greek alphabet” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lambda is lambdas.
How many letters and syllables are in lambda?
| Letters | 6: L-A-M-B-D-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th 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 lambda?
Lambda appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Lambda, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce lambda?
- US /ˈlæm.də/
Lambda 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-lambda.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lambda
- lambdas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lambda mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The eleventh letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabet, the twelfth of the Old Greek alphabet.
- 2
Unit representation of wavelength.
- 3
The cosmological constant.
- 4
Ellipsis of lambda baryon.
- 5
Ellipsis of lambda expression.
- 6
Ellipsis of lambda function.
- 7
The junction of the lambdoid and sagittal sutures of the cranium.
- 8
The percentage change in an option value divided by the percentage change in the underlying asset's price.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lambda in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense name of the Greek letter:
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 lambda come from?
From Ancient Greek λάμβδα (lámbda). Doublet of lamed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).