lavender
lav·en·der/ˈlæv.ən.dɚ/noun, adjective, verb
lavender is spelled L-A-V-E-N-D-E-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables (lav·en·der). It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, lavender means “Any of a group of European plants, genus, Lavandula, of the mint family” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lavender is lavenders.
How many letters and syllables are in lavender?
| Letters | 8: L-A-V-E-N-D-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: lav·en·der |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is lavender?
Lavender appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th 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 lavender?
- UK /ˈlæv.ən.dəː/
- UK [ˈlæv.ən.dəː] ~ [ˈlæv.n̩.dəː]
- US /ˈlæv.ən.dɚ/
Lavender has 3 syllables, split lav·en·der in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-lavender.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lavender
- lavenders plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more lavender comparative
- most lavender superlative
- lavendering participle, present
- lavendered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lavender mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of a group of European plants, genus, Lavandula, of the mint family.
- 2
A pale bluish purple or violet colour, like that of the lavender flower.
- 3
A kind of film stock used for creating positive prints from negatives as part of the process of duplicating the negatives.
adjective
- 1
Having a pale purple colour.
- 2
Pertaining to LGBT people and rights.
- 3
Pertaining to lesbian feminism; opposing heterosexism.
verb
- 1
To decorate or perfume with lavender.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lavender in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lavande , bleu lavande |
| German | Lavendel |
| Portuguese | lavanda, alfazema , cor de lavanda, lilás |
| Spanish | lavanda, espliego, cantueso, alhucema, lavándula |
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 lavender come from?
From Middle English lavendre, from Anglo-Norman lavendre (French lavande), from Medieval Latin lavendula, possibly from Latin lividus (“bluish”), but influenced by lavō (“to wash”) due to the use of lavender in washing clothes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).