metathesis
/məˈtæ.θə.sɪs/noun
metathesis is spelled M-E-T-A-T-H-E-S-I-S: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, metathesis means “The transposition of letters, syllables or sounds within a word” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of metathesis is metatheses.
How many letters and syllables are in metathesis?
| Letters | 10: M-E-T-A-T-H-E-S-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 103,949th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in 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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is metathesis?
Metathesis appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th 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 metathesis?
- UK /məˈtæ.θə.sɪs/
- US /məˈtæ.θə.sɪs/
- US [məˈtʰæ.θə.səs]
Metathesis has 4 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-metathesis.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with metathesis?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as metathesis from its last stressed vowel (/æθəsɪs/):
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 metathesis
- metatheses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does metathesis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The transposition of letters, syllables or sounds within a word.
- 2
The double decomposition of inorganic salts.
- 3
The breaking and reforming of double bonds in olefins in which substituent groups are swapped.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Metathesis 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 metathesis come from?
Borrowed from Late Latin metathesis, from Ancient Greek μετάθεσις (metáthesis), from μετά (metá, “among”) + θέσις (thésis, “placement”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).