macabre
ma·cab·re/məˈkɑb/adjective
macabre is spelled M-A-C-A-B-R-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables (ma·cab·re). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, macabre means “Representing or personifying death” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in macabre?
| Letters | 7: M-A-C-A-B-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ma·cab·re |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,549th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| 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 macabre?
Macabre appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th 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 macabre?
- UK /ˌməˈkɑː.bɹə/
- UK /ˌməˈkɑː.bə/
- US /məˈkɑb/
Macabre has 3 syllables, split ma·cab·re in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-macabre.ogg, En-au-macabre.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with macabre
Sounds like: McCobb (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with macabre?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as macabre from its last stressed vowel (/ɑb/):
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 macabre
- more macabre comparative
- most macabre superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does macabre mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Representing or personifying death.
- 2
Obsessed with death or the gruesome.
- 3
Ghastly, shocking, terrifying.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Macabre in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | macabre , morbide, gothique, thanatophile |
| German | makaber , grausig |
| Portuguese | macabro |
| Spanish | macabro , gótico, mórbido , funesto |
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 macabre come from?
Borrowed from French macabre, whose etymology is uncertain. Possibly from the term danse macabre, most commonly believed to be from corruption of the biblical name Maccabees; compare Latin Chorea Machabaeorum. Another theory derives the French term (through Spanish macabro) from Arabic مَقَابِر (maqābir, “cemeteries”), plural of مَقْبَرَة (maqbara) or مَقْبُرَة (maqbura).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).