mouth
/maʊθ/noun, verb
mouth is spelled M-O-U-T-H: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 68 times per million words in written English, the 1,562nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mouth means “The front opening of a creature through which food is ingested” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mouth is mouths.
How many letters and syllables are in mouth?
| Letters | 5: M-O-U-T-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 68 times per million words; the 1,562nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is mouth?
Mouth appears 68 times per million words in written English, the 1,562nd 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 mouth?
- /maʊθ/
- Canada /mʌʊθ/
- [məʊθ]
As a verb (“To speak; to utter”): /maʊð/, /mʌʊθ/, /maʊð/.
Mouth has one syllable (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: En-uk-mouth.ogg, En-us-mouth.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mouth_(verb).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mouth
- mouths plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- mouthing participle, present
- mouthed participle, past
- mouthe
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mouth mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The front opening of a creature through which food is ingested.
"Open your mouth and say 'aah'," directed the doctor.
- 2
The end of a river out of which water flows into a sea or other large body of water; or the end of a tributary out of which water flows into a larger river.
The mouth of the river is a good place to go birdwatching in spring and autumn.
- 3
An outlet, aperture or orifice.
- 4
slangA loud or overly talkative person.
My kid sister is a real mouth; she never shuts up.
- 5
slangA gossip.
- 6
The crosspiece of a bridle bit, which enters the mouth of an animal.
- 7
obsoleteA principal speaker; one who utters the common opinion; a mouthpiece.
- 8
obsoleteSpeech; language; testimony.
verb
- 1
To speak; to utter.
He mouthed his opinions on the subject at the meeting.
- 2
To represent (words or sounds) by making the actions of speech, but silently, without producing sound; to frame.
The prompter mouthed the words to the actor, who had forgotten them.
- 3
To move the mouth, with or without sound; to form (air or words) with the mouth, with or without sound.
- 4
Ellipsis of mouth the words; to speak insincerely.
- 5
To utter with a voice that is overly loud or swelling.
- 6
To exit at a mouth (such as a river mouth)
- 7
To pick up or handle with the lips or mouth, but not chew or swallow.
The fish mouthed the lure, but didn't bite.
- 8
To take into the mouth; to seize or grind with the mouth or teeth; to chew; to devour.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mouth in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bouche, gueule , embouchure |
| German | Mund, Maul, Muul, Schnure, Gosche, Babbn |
| Portuguese | boca , foz, embocadura , entrada, orifício |
| Spanish | boca, busa, busarda, bemba, jeta , desembocadura |
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 mouth come from?
From Middle English mouth, from Old English mūþ, from Proto-West Germanic *munþ, from Proto-Germanic *munþaz (“mouth”), from Proto-Indo-European *ment- (“to chew; jaw, mouth”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).