material
ma·te·ri·al/məˈtɪɹ.i.əl/adjective, noun
material is spelled M-A-T-E-R-I-A-L: 8 letters and 4 syllables (ma·te·ri·al). It appears 89 times per million words in written English, the 1,191st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “material vs materiel” about 2,900 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, material means “Of, relating to, or consisting of matter, especially physical” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in material?
| Letters | 8: M-A-T-E-R-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: ma·te·ri·al |
| In writing | 89 times per million words; the 1,191st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is material?
Material appears 89 times per million words in written English, the 1,191st 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 material?
- UK /məˈtɪə.ɹi.əl/
- US /məˈtɪɹ.i.əl/
Material has 4 syllables, split ma·te·ri·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-material.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with material
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with material?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as material from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɹiəl/):
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 material
- more material comparative
- most material superlative
- materials plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- materialing US, participle, present
- materialling UK, participle, present
- materialed US, participle, past
- materialled UK, participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does material mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, relating to, or consisting of matter, especially physical.
This compound has a number of interesting material properties.
- 2
Of, relating to, or affecting physical well-being; corporeal; bodily.
material needs
- 3
Of or relating to the matter of reasoning, as distinguished from the form of it, especially empirical.
material cause
- 4
Having real importance or great consequences; significant; substantial.
found a material difference between two things
- 5
Relating to or concerned with what is purely physical rather than intellectual or spiritual, especially excessively so; materialistic.
the material world
- 6
obsoleteFull of substance or otherwise meaning.
- 7
obsoleteIn an important degree.
noun
- 1
A basic matter (as metal, wood, plastic, fiber, etc.) from which the whole or the greater part of something physical (as a machine, tool, building, fabric, etc.) is made.
Asphalt, composed of oil and sand, is a widely used material for roads.
- 2
A person, or people collectively, who are qualified or suited for a certain position or activity.
boy/girlfriend material
- 3
Apparatus for doing or making something.
- 4
Something (as data, observations, perceptions or ideas) that may be incorporated, elaborated or otherwise reworked into a finished form or new form, or may serve as the basis for arriving at interpretations, judgments or conclusions.
teaching materials
- 5
Fabric, which can be made into a garments, curtains, etc; especially, woven fabric (cloth).
a piece of material
- 6
The elements, constituents or substance of which something physical or non-physical composed of or can be made of.
The solid materials of the mixture will settle to the bottom of the container.
- 7
An element of a design language associated with a certain style of rendering on the display.
- 8
All of a player's pieces and pawns on the chessboard, excluding the king.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo form from matter; to materialize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate material?
Wiktionary records 5 abbreviations of material: Mat'l, mat, matl, mtl., mtrl..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Material in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | materiell , Material, Rohstoff , Stoff |
| Portuguese | material , tecido, pano , terreno , significativo , matéria |
| Spanish | material , significativo , menaje |
| French | matériau, matière , étoffe, tissu , matériel |
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 material come from?
From Middle English material, from Late Latin māteriālis, from Latin māteria (“wood, material, substance”), from māter (“mother”). Displaced native Middle English andweorc, andwork (“material, matter”) (from Old English andweorc (“matter, substance, material”)). Doublet of materiel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).