pointer
point·er/ˈpɔɪn.təɹ/noun
pointer is spelled P-O-I-N-T-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables (point·er). It appears 4.2 times per million words in written English, the 12,578th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pointer means “One who points” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pointer is pointers.
How many letters and syllables are in pointer?
| Letters | 7: P-O-I-N-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: point·er |
| In writing | 4.2 times per million words; the 12,578th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is pointer?
Pointer appears 4.2 times per million words in written English, the 12,578th 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 pointer?
- UK /ˈpɔɪn.tə/
- US /ˈpɔɪn.təɹ/
- US /ˈpɔɪnəɹ/
Pointer has 2 syllables, split point·er in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pointer.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pointer?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as pointer (/ɔɪntəɹ/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: protein.
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 pointer
- pointers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pointer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One who points.
- 2
A teacher's pointer, pointing stick, a rod with an arrow.
- 3
A needlelike component of a timepiece or measuring device that indicates the time or the current reading of the device.
- 4
Any of several breeds of hunting dog, trained to point out game; an individual of such a breed.
- 5
A variable that holds the address of a memory location where a value can be stored.
- 6
An icon that indicates the position of the pointing device, such as a mouse.
- 7
A tip, a bit of advice.
The instructor gave me some pointers on writing a good paper.
- 8
Something that gives a point (sharp end) to something.
pencil pointer
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate pointer?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of pointer: ptr.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pointer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | aiguille, baguette , braque, chien d'arrêt , pointeur |
| German | Zeigestock, Zeigestab , Zeiger, Nadel |
| Portuguese | ponteiro , pointer, perdigueiro, braco |
| Spanish | puntero , aguja, saeta, índex, saetilla |
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 pointer come from?
From point + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (measurement suffix) (sense 4).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).