matte
/mæt/noun, adjective, verb
matte is spelled M-A-T-T-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.3 times per million words in written English, the 14,509th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “matt vs matte” about 90 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, matte means “A decorative border around a picture used to inset and center the contents of a frame” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of matte is mattes.
How many letters and syllables are in matte?
| Letters | 5: M-A-T-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.3 times per million words; the 14,509th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like |
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); 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).
How common is matte?
Matte appears 3.3 times per million words in written English, the 14,509th 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 matte?
- /mæt/
Matte has one syllable (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-matte.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-matte.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with matte
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: mat (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of matte
- mattes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more matte comparative
- most matte superlative
- matting participle, present
- matted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does matte mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A decorative border around a picture used to inset and center the contents of a frame.
The image is a perfect square of 8 cm (with white matte border the total dimensions are 14 cm tall by 11 cm wide).
- 2
A background, often painted or created with computers
Matte painting is a tool that filmmakers can use to create a scene that is impossible to achieve with conventional cinematographic means.
- 3
The molten metal sulfide phases typically formed during smelting of copper, nickel, and other base metals.
- 4
An instrument for producing a dull, lustreless surface.
adjective
- 1
USDull; not reflective of light.
Flat or matte paint allows a deep color expression on the walls while also hiding flaws that may be inherent on the painted surface.
verb
- 1
To produce a dull, lustreless surface on (metal).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Matte in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 matte come from?
Borrowed from French mat.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).