marlin
/ˈmɑɹ.lɪn/noun
marlin is spelled M-A-R-L-I-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, marlin means “Any species of game fish belonging to either of the genera Tetrapturus or Makaira, with a crested dorsal fin and a pointed, spear-like projection of…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of marlin is marlins.
How many letters and syllables are in marlin?
| Letters | 6: M-A-R-L-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,556th 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 marlin?
Marlin appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th 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 marlin?
- /ˈmɑɹ.lɪn/
Marlin 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-marlin.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of marlin
- marlins plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does marlin mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any species of game fish belonging to either of the genera Tetrapturus or Makaira, with a crested dorsal fin and a pointed, spear-like projection of the upper jaw.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Marlin in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense game fish with a pointed upper jaw:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | marlin, makaire |
| German | Speerfisch, Fächerfisch, Marline |
| Portuguese | marlim, espadim, peixe-vela, agulhão-de-vela |
| Spanish | aguja, picudo, pez vela |
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 marlin come from?
A contraction of marlinspike, named so because of its pointed snout.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).