lectern
/ˈlɛktə(ɹ)n/noun
lectern is spelled L-E-C-T-E-R-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,788th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, lectern means “A stand with a slanted top used to support a Bible from which passages are read during a church service” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lectern is lecterns.
How many letters and syllables are in lectern?
| Letters | 7: L-E-C-T-E-R-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 56,788th 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 lectern?
Lectern appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,788th 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 lectern?
- /ˈlɛktə(ɹ)n/
Lectern 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-lectern.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lectern
- lecterns plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lectern mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A stand with a slanted top used to support a Bible from which passages are read during a church service.
- 2
A similar stand to support a lecturer's notes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lectern in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lutrin , pupitre |
| German | Pult, Lesepult, Chorpult, Rednerpult |
| Portuguese | atril, leitoril, púlpito |
| Spanish | atril, retril, facistol |
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 lectern come from?
15th century partial re-Latinization of early 14th century Middle English lettorne, lettron, from Old French leitrun, from Medieval Latin lectrinum, from Late Latin lectrum, from lectus (from whence also lecture), form of Latin legō (“to read”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).