lyric
/ˈlɪɹɪk/adjective, noun
lyric is spelled L-Y-R-I-C: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Lyric, the name). As an adjective, lyric means “Of, or relating to a type of poetry (such as a sonnet or ode) that expresses subjective thoughts and feelings, often in a songlike style” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in lyric?
| Letters | 5: L-Y-R-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.3 times per million words; the 12,397th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 lyric?
Lyric appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Lyric, 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 lyric?
- US /ˈlɪɹɪk/
Lyric 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-lyric.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-lyric.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with lyric?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as lyric from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɹɪk/):
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 lyric
- more lyric comparative
- most lyric superlative
- lyrics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lyric mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, or relating to a type of poetry (such as a sonnet or ode) that expresses subjective thoughts and feelings, often in a songlike style.
- 2
Of or relating to a writer of such poetry.
- 3
Lyrical.
- 4
Having a light singing voice of modest range.
- 5
Of or relating to musical drama and opera.
- 6
Melodious.
- 7
Of or relating to the lyre (or sometimes the harp).
noun
- 1
A lyric poem.
- 2
The words of a song or other vocal music.
The lyric in line 3 doesn't rhyme.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lyric in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense lyric poem:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | lyrisches Gedicht |
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 lyric come from?
From French lyrique, or its source, Latin lyricus, from Ancient Greek λυρικός (lurikós), from λύρα (lúra, “lyre”). Its English equivalent would be lyre + -ic. The original Greek sense of "lyric poetry"–"poetry accompanied by the lyre" i.e. "words set to music"–eventually led to its use as "lyrics", first attested in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Stainer and Barrett used the word as a singular substantive: "Lyric, poetry or blank verse intended to be set to music and sung".
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).