lawyer
law·yer/ˈlɔɪ.ɚ/noun, verb
lawyer is spelled L-A-W-Y-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (law·yer). It appears 47 times per million words in written English, the 2,153rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Lawyer, the name). As a noun, lawyer means “A professional person with a graduate law degree that qualifies for legal work (such as Juris Doctor)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lawyer is lawyers.
How many letters and syllables are in lawyer?
| Letters | 6: L-A-W-Y-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: law·yer |
| In writing | 47 times per million words; the 2,153rd 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 lawyer?
Lawyer appears 47 times per million words in written English, the 2,153rd most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Lawyer, 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 lawyer?
- UK /ˈlɔːjə(ɹ)/
- UK /ˈlɔɪ.ə(ɹ)/
- US /ˈlɔɪ.ɚ/
Lawyer has 2 syllables, split law·yer in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-lawyer.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with lawyer?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as lawyer from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɪəɹ/):
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 lawyer
- lawyers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- lawyering participle, present
- lawyered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lawyer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A professional person with a graduate law degree that qualifies for legal work (such as Juris Doctor)
- 2
A professional person qualified (as by a law degree or bar exam) and authorized to practice law as an attorney-at-law, solicitor, advocate, barrister or equivalent, i.e. represent parties in lawsuits or trials and give legal advice.
A lawyer's time and advice are his stock in trade. [one of various versions of an aphorism in law]
- 3
A legal layman who argues points of law.
- 4
UKcolloquialThe burbot.
- 5
UKThe stem of a bramble.
- 6
A relative of the raspberry found in Australia and New Zealand, Rubus australis
- 7
Various species of Calamus, including Calamus australis, Calamus muelleri, Calamus obstruens, Calamus vitiensis, Calamus warburgii, and Calamus moti.
- 8
A woody climbing rainforest vine, Flagellaria indica.
verb
- 1
informalTo practice law.
- 2
To perform, or attempt to perform, the work of a lawyer.
- 3
To make legalistic arguments.
- 4
informalTo barrage (a person) with questions in order to get them to admit something.
You've been lawyered!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lawyer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | juriste, homme de loi, femme de loi, avocat, avocate |
| German | Rechtsanwalt, Rechtsanwältin, Anwalt, Anwältin |
| Portuguese | advogado, advogada |
| Spanish | abogado, abogada, letrado, notario , leguleyo, abogado de secano |
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 lawyer come from?
From Middle English lawiere, lawier, lawer, equivalent to law + -yer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).