motto
/ˈmɑ.toʊ/noun, verb
motto is spelled M-O-T-T-O: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, motto means “A personal slogan” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of motto is mottos or mottoes.
How many letters and syllables are in motto?
| Letters | 5: M-O-T-T-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd 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 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 motto?
Motto appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 motto?
- US /ˈmɑ.toʊ/
- UK /ˈmɒ.təʊ/
- Canada /ˈmɒ.to/
Motto 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-motto.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-motto.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with motto?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as motto from its last stressed vowel (/ɑtoʊ/):
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 motto
- mottos plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- mottoes plural
- mottoing participle, present
- mottoed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does motto mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A personal slogan.
You have to be in it to win it – that's my motto.
- 2
A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievement.
- 3
A sentence, phrase, or word, prefixed to an essay, discourse, chapter, canto, or the like, suggestive of its subject matter; a short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle; a maxim.
- 4
obsoleteA paper packet containing a sweetmeat, cracker, etc., together with a scrap of paper bearing a motto.
verb
- 1
To compose mottos.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Motto in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense sentence, phrase or word forming part of a heraldic achievement:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | devise |
| German | Motto, Wahlspruch |
| Portuguese | lema, divisa, mote |
| Spanish | mote, divisa, lema |
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 motto come from?
Borrowed from Italian motto (“a word, a saying”), from Latin muttum (“a mutter, a grunt”), late 16th c. Doublet of mot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).