onlay
verb, noun
onlay is spelled O-N-L-A-Y: 5 letters. It appears about once in every 54 million words in written English, the 228,409th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, onlay means “To lay or place something on a surface” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in onlay?
| Letters | 5: O-N-L-A-Y |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 54 million words; the 228,409th 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 onlay?
Onlay appears about once in every 54 million words in written English, the 228,409th 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 onlay
- onlays present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- onlaying participle, present
- onlaid participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does onlay mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To lay or place something on a surface.
noun
- 1
A material placed such that it overlaps another.
- 2
A restoration that covers one or more cusps of a tooth.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does onlay come from?
From Middle English onleien, onleggen (“to lay or place; impose; attack”). Equivalent to on- + lay.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).