miser
/ˈmaɪzə(ɹ)/noun
miser is spelled M-I-S-E-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a derogatory noun, miser means “A person who hoards money rather than spending it; one who is cheap or extremely parsimonious” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of miser is misers.
How many letters and syllables are in miser?
| Letters | 5: M-I-S-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,368th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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 miser?
Miser appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th 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 miser?
- /ˈmaɪzə(ɹ)/
Miser 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)-Vealhurl-miser.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-miser.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with miser?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as miser.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: remis.
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 miser
- misers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does miser mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
derogatoryA person who hoards money rather than spending it; one who is cheap or extremely parsimonious.
Scrooge was a typical miser: spending nothing he could save, nor enjoying his wealth.
- 2
obsoleteA person who is wretched or despicable; a wretch.
- 3
A kind of earth auger, typically large-bored and often hand-operated.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Miser in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense skinflint or scrooge:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | avare, crevard, grigou, grippe-sou, harpagon, picsou |
| German | Geizhals, Geizkragen, Geiziger, Geizige, Pfennigfuchser, Pfennigfuchserin |
| Portuguese | avarento, avarenta, mão de vaca, sovina, muquirana, pão-duro |
| Spanish | tacaño, rata, avaro, avaricioso, pesetero, agarrado |
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 miser come from?
From Middle English misser, from Late Latin miser (“wretched, unfortunate, unhappy, miserable, sick, ill, bad, worthless, etc.”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).