plateau
/plæˈtoʊ/noun, verb
plateau is spelled P-L-A-T-E-A-U. The wrong spelling people search most is plateu: about 410 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 13 of all searches for the word. Plateau is a noun meaning “A largely level expanse of land at a high elevation; tableland”. The plural of plateau is plateaus or plateaux.
How many letters and syllables are in plateau?
| Letters | 7: P-L-A-T-E-A-U |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.1 times per million words; the 12,764th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, plateu, about 410 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
| 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How do you spell plateau?
Plateau is spelled P-L-A-T-E-A-U. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 13 of the searches for plateau in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is plateau?
Plateau appears 4.1 times per million words in written English, the 12,764th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Plateau, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce plateau?
- UK /ˈplætəʊ/
- US /plæˈtoʊ/
Plateau 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: En-us-plateau.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with plateau?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as plateau from its last stressed vowel (/oʊ/):
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 plateau
- plateaus plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- plateaux plural
- plateauing participle, present
- plateaued participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does plateau mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A largely level expanse of land at a high elevation; tableland.
- 2
A comparatively stable level after a period of increase. (of a varying quantity)
- 3
datedAn ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.
- 4
A notable level of attainment or achievement.
- 5
Any of several distinct, dose-dependent stages of a dextromethorphan trip.
verb
- 1
To reach a stable level after a period of increase; to level off.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Plateau in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | plateau , stagner, plafonner, se stabiliser, atteindre un plateau |
| German | Hochebene, Plateau , ein Plateau erreichen, stagnieren |
| Portuguese | planalto, platô, altiplano , estagnar |
| Spanish | meseta, altiplano, altiplanicie, altipampa, tablazo , estancarse |
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 plateau come from?
Borrowed from French plateau, diminutive of plat (“a plate”); see plate. Doublet of platter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).