nylon
ny·lon/ˈnaɪlɑn/noun
nylon is spelled N-Y-L-O-N: 5 letters and 2 syllables (ny·lon). It appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,687th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, nylon means “Originally, the DuPont company trade name for polyamide, a copolymer whose molecules consist of alternating diamine and dicarboxylic acid monomers…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of nylon is nylons.
How many letters and syllables are in nylon?
| Letters | 5: N-Y-L-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ny·lon |
| In writing | 2.6 times per million words; the 16,687th 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 nylon?
Nylon appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,687th 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 nylon?
- UK /ˈnaɪlɒn/
- US /ˈnaɪlɑn/
Nylon has 2 syllables, split ny·lon in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-nylon.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of nylon
- nylons plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nylon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Originally, the DuPont company trade name for polyamide, a copolymer whose molecules consist of alternating diamine and dicarboxylic acid monomers bonded together; now generically used for this type of polymer.
- 2
A stocking originally fabricated from nylon; also used generically for any long, sheer stocking worn on a woman's legs.
I tore a hole in my nylons while walking home through the woods.
- 3
A Queen's Counsel, King's Counsel or Senior Counsel who was appointed as a courtesy, rather than on merit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nylon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | nylon |
| German | Nylon , Nylonstrumpf |
| Portuguese | nylon, náilon |
| Spanish | nylon, nilón, nailon |
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 nylon come from?
Coined by the company DuPont in 1938. According to the company, the name was formed from the random generic syllable nyl- + the common fiber suffix -on (as in rayon and Dacron), said to be ultimately from cotton.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).