meta
/ˈmɛtə/noun, adjective
meta is spelled M-E-T-A: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, meta means “Clipping of metagame” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of meta is metas or metae.
How many letters and syllables are in meta?
| Letters | 4: M-E-T-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.5 times per million words; the 10,519th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is meta?
Meta appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th 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 meta?
- UK /ˈmɛtə/
- US /ˈmɛtə/
- US [ˈmɛɾə]
As a noun (“Boundary marker”): /ˈmiːtə/, /ˈmiːtə/, [ˈmiːɾə].
Meta 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)-MahmoudHashemi-meta-.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-meta_(e).wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-meta_(ee).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with meta?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as meta from its last stressed vowel (/æ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: team, meat, mate, tame.
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 meta
- met-
- metas plural
- more meta comparative
- most meta superlative
- metae plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does meta mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Clipping of metagame.
I don't think the character will be part of the meta even with the recent buffs.
- 2
An informal but widely adopted practice in a given field; a de facto standard.
Each video sharing platform's community has a meta on how long videos should be.
- 3
informalClipping of metaoidioplasty.
- 4
informalClipping of metamour.
- 5
slangClipping of metanalysis: metanalysis or metacommentary focused on media, fandom, or related topics, typically presented as an essay or dialogue.
Many metas on Tumblr incorporate GIFs of scenes they are referencing as well as screencaps.
- 6
Boundary marker.
- 7
Either of the conical columns at each end of an Ancient Roman circus.
adjective
- 1
informalSelf-referential; structured analogously (structured by relationships), but at a higher level.
Suppose you have a genie that grants you three wishes. If you wish for infinite wishes, that is a meta wish.
- 2
Prominent in the metagame; effective and frequently used in competitive gameplay.
I don't think the character will be meta even with the recent buffs.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Meta 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 meta come from?
Etymology 1, adjective sense 1 is a back-formation from meta- (prefix). Etymology 1, adjective sense 2 is derived from noun etymology 1, noun sense 1. The noun senses are clippings of various terms beginning with meta (prefix). Folk etymology for noun etymology 1, noun sense 1 also suggests an acronym for most effective/efficient tactic available.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).