pilaster
/pɪˈlæstɚ/noun
pilaster is spelled P-I-L-A-S-T-E-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 118,441st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pilaster means “A rectangular column that projects partially from the wall to which it is attached; it gives the appearance of a support, but is only for decoration” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pilaster is pilasters.
How many letters and syllables are in pilaster?
| Letters | 8: P-I-L-A-S-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 15 million words; the 118,441st 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 pilaster?
Pilaster appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 118,441st 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 pilaster?
- UK /pɪˈlastə/
- US /pɪˈlæstɚ/
Pilaster 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pilaster.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pilaster?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pilaster from its last stressed vowel (/æstəɹ/):
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 pilaster
- pilasters plural
- pilastre
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pilaster mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A rectangular column that projects partially from the wall to which it is attached; it gives the appearance of a support, but is only for decoration.
- 2
A column or short wing wall attached to the foundation wall which provides lateral support, or to support a vertical load that does not fall on the foundation wall.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pilaster in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a column attached to the wall:
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 pilaster come from?
From Middle French pilastre, from Italian pilastro. Equivalent to pillar + -aster.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).