lilac
/ˈlaɪlək/noun, adjective
lilac is spelled L-I-L-A-C: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,070th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Lilac, the name). As a noun, lilac means “A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lilac is lilacs.
How many letters and syllables are in lilac?
| Letters | 5: L-I-L-A-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,070th 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 lilac?
Lilac appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,070th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Lilac, 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 lilac?
- UK /ˈlaɪlək/
- US /ˈlaɪlək/
- US /ˈlaɪlæk/
Lilac 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-lilac.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lilac
- lilacs plural
- more lilac comparative
- most lilac superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lilac mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
- 2
A flower of the lilac shrub.
- 3
A pale purple color, the color of some lilac flowers.
- 4
A cat having a lilac-colored (pale brown) coat.
adjective
- 1
Having a pale purple colour.
- 2
Of a cat or its fur: having a pale brown colour, lighter than chocolate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lilac in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lilas |
| German | Flieder, Fliederbusch, Fliederbaum, Fliederstrauch , Zartlila , lila |
| Portuguese | lilás |
| Spanish | lila, lilac, lilo |
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 lilac come from?
From obsolete French lilac (now lilas), from Arabic لِيلَك (līlak).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).