patrol
/pəˈtɹoʊl/noun, verb
patrol is spelled P-A-T-R-O-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, patrol means “A going of the rounds along the chain of sentinels and between the posts, by a guard, usually consisting of three or four men, to insure greater…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of patrol is patrols.
How many letters and syllables are in patrol?
| Letters | 6: P-A-T-R-O-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 14 times per million words; the 5,679th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 patrol?
Patrol appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th 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 patrol?
- UK /pəˈtɹəʊl/
- US /pəˈtɹoʊl/
Patrol 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)-Mélange_a_trois-patrol.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with patrol?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as patrol from its last stressed vowel (/oʊl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: portal.
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 patrol
- patrols plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- patrolling participle, present
- patrolled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does patrol mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A going of the rounds along the chain of sentinels and between the posts, by a guard, usually consisting of three or four men, to insure greater security from attacks on the outposts.
Four members of the squadron were on patrol.
- 2
A movement, by a small body of troops beyond the line of outposts, to explore the country and gain intelligence of the enemy's whereabouts.
- 3
The guards who go the rounds for observation; a detachment whose duty it is to patrol.
- 4
The largest division of officers within a police department or sheriff's office, whose assignment is to patrol and respond to calls for service.
- 5
Any perambulation of a particular line or district to guard it; also, the people thus guarding.
a customs patrol
- 6
A unit of a troop, usually defined by certain ranks or age groups within the troop, and ideally comprised of six to eight members.
verb
- 1
To go the rounds along a chain of sentinels; to traverse a police district or beat.
- 2
To go the rounds of, as a sentry, guard, or policeman
to patrol a frontier
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate patrol?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of patrol: WPG.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Patrol in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | patrouille , patrouiller |
| German | Patrouille |
| Portuguese | patrulha, patrulhamento , patrulhar |
| Spanish | patrulla , hacer la ronda , patrullar , ronda |
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 patrol come from?
From French patrouille, from Old French patrouille, patouille (“a night-watch”, literally “a tramping about”), from patrouiller, patouiller, patoiller (“to paddle or pudder in water, dabble with the feet, begrime, besmear”), from patte, pate (“paw, foot of an animal”), from Vulgar Latin *patta (“paw, foot”), from Frankish *patta (“paw, sole of the foot”), from Proto-Germanic *paþjaną, *paþōną (“to walk, tread, go, step, pace”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pent-, *(s)pat- (“path; to walk”), a variant of Proto-Indo-European *pent-, *pat- (“path; to go”); see find.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).