observer
/əbˈzɝvɚ/noun
observer is spelled O-B-S-E-R-V-E-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 8.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,146th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, observer means “One who makes observations, monitors or takes notice” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of observer is observers.
How many letters and syllables are in observer?
| Letters | 8: O-B-S-E-R-V-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 8.1 times per million words; the 8,146th 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 observer?
Observer appears 8.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,146th 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 observer?
- US /əbˈzɝvɚ/
- US /ɑb-/
- UK /əbˈzɜːvə/
Observer has 3 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: En-us-observer.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with observer?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as observer from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹvəɹ/):
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 observer
- observers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does observer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One who makes observations, monitors or takes notice.
Most impartial observers agreed that Sampras had not served well.
- 2
One who adheres or follows laws, guidelines, etc.
I shall be an observer of the local customs.
- 3
A person sent as a representative, to a meeting or other function to monitor but not to participate.
The UN sent many observers to the country's first elections.
- 4
A country or other entity which has limited participation rights within an organization.
The Vatican and Palestine have observer status at the UN.
- 5
A crew member on an aircraft who makes observations of enemy positions or aircraft.
The only crew-member to survive the crash was the Canadian observer.
- 6
A sentry etc. manning an observation post.
We waited till dusk when the observers' vision was poorest.
- 7
Synonym of spotter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate observer?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of observer: obsr..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Observer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one who makes observations, monitors or takes notice:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | observateur, spectateur |
| German | Beobachter, Beobachterin, Zuschauer, Zuschauerin |
| Portuguese | observador, espectador |
| Spanish | observador, mirón |
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 observer come from?
From observe + -er.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).