measles
/ˈmizəlz/noun, verb
measles is spelled M-E-A-S-L-E-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, measles means “An acute and highly contagious disease which often afflicts children caused by the virus Measles morbillivirus and causing red rashes, fever, runny…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in measles?
| Letters | 7: M-E-A-S-L-E-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 18,811th 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 measles?
Measles appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th 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 measles?
- US /ˈmizəlz/
- UK /ˈmiːzəlz/
Measles 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: En-us-measles.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with measles
Also written: the measles.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of measles
- measle
- the measles
- measels
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does measles mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An acute and highly contagious disease which often afflicts children caused by the virus Measles morbillivirus and causing red rashes, fever, runny nose, coughing, and red eyes.
- 2
plural of measle: a red spot forming part of a rash, (now) particularly those caused by M. morbillivirus.
Others take a fether, and dippe it in the saide water, and therwith they annoynte all the Measells of the Face when they are come forth.
- 3
Synonym of cysticercosis: A disease of livestock or meat caused by the presence of tapeworm larvae.
- 4
plural of measle: the individual cysts of cysticercosis.
- 5
obsoleteAny disease causing a tree's bark to become rough and irregular.
- 6
obsoleteplural of measle: the individual blisters in the surface of a diseased tree's bark.
- 7
plural of measle: any similar-looking red spot, particularly (printing) foxing.
- 8
USA discreet assassination made to look like death from natural causes.
verb
- 1
third-person singular simple present indicative of measle
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate measles?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of measles: MMR, MRZ.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Measles in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense disease caused by M. morbillivirus:
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 measles come from?
Either from Middle Dutch masels (“blood blisters, measels”) or Middle Low German maselen (“red blemishes, measels”), both from Old High German masala (“blood blister, phlegmon”). Doublet of measlings. Cognate with mazer & mase and Middle Low German masele & māsel. Influenced in pronunciation and some senses by mesel (“leprous, leper”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).