mortarboard
noun
mortarboard is spelled M-O-R-T-A-R-B-O-A-R-D: 11 letters. It appears about once in every 37 million words in written English, the 187,122nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mortarboard means “A rectangular board, with a handle, on which mortar or plaster is carried: a hawk” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mortarboard is mortarboards.
How many letters and syllables are in mortarboard?
| Letters | 11: M-O-R-T-A-R-B-O-A-R-D |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 37 million words; the 187,122nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is mortarboard?
Mortarboard appears about once in every 37 million words in written English, the 187,122nd 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).
Forms of mortarboard
- mortarboards plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mortarboard mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A rectangular board, with a handle, on which mortar or plaster is carried: a hawk.
- 2
An academic cap that has a flat square top with a tassel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mortarboard in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Mörtelbrett, Reibebrett, Traufel, Glättkelle , Sponsionshut, Doktorhut |
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 mortarboard come from?
From mortar + board.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).