pound
/ˈpaʊ̯nd/noun, verb
pound is spelled P-O-U-N-D: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,153rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “lb vs pound” about 590 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, pound means “A unit of weight in various measurement systems” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pound is pounds.
How many letters and syllables are in pound?
| Letters | 5: P-O-U-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 21 times per million words; the 4,153rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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); 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 common is pound?
Pound appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,153rd 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 pound?
- US /ˈpaʊ̯nd/
- US [ˈpʰaʊ̯nd]
- /ˈpæʊ̯nd/
Pound has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pound.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pound.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pound
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: lb..
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with pound?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pound from its last stressed vowel (/aʊnd/):
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 pound
- pounds plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pounding participle, present
- pounded participle, past
- poun
- pown
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pound mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A unit of weight in various measurement systems.
- 2
Ellipsis of pound weight.
- 3
Various non-English units of measure.
- 4
Ellipsis of pound mass.
- 5
Various non-English units of measure.
- 6
A unit of mass equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces (= 453.592 g). Today this value is the most common meaning of "pound" as a unit of weight.
- 7
A unit of mass equal to 12 troy ounces (≈ 373.242 g). Today, this is a common unit of mass when measuring precious metals, and is little used elsewhere.
- 8
Ellipsis of pound force.
- 9
A place for the detention of stray or wandering animals.
- 10
The people who work for the pound.
- 11
UKA place for the detention of automobiles that have been illegally parked, abandoned, etc.
- 12
A section of a canal between two adjacent locks.
- 13
A kind of fishing net, having a large enclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward.
- 14
A division inside a fishing stage where cod is cured in salt brine.
- 15
A hard blow.
verb
- 1
UKslangTo wager a pound on.
- 2
To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound.
When I short haue shorne my sowce face & swigg’d my horny barrell, In an oaken Inne I pound my skin as a suite of guilt apparrell
- 3
To strike hard, usually repeatedly.
- 4
To crush to pieces; to pulverize.
- 5
slangTo eat or drink very quickly.
You really pounded that beer!
- 6
slangTo pitch consistently to a certain location.
The pitcher has been pounding the outside corner all night.
- 7
To beat strongly or throb.
As I tiptoed past the sleeping dog, my heart was pounding but I remained silent.
- 8
slangvulgarTo penetrate sexually, with vigour.
I was pounding her all night!
- 9
To advance heavily with measured steps.
- 10
To make a jarring noise, as when running.
The engine pounds.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate pound?
Wiktionary records 6 abbreviations of pound: LB, Lb, Lb., l., lb, lb..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pound in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | livre , fourrière , bief , pilonner, marteler |
| German | Pfund , Zwinger, Tierheim , hämmern , Verwahrstelle , zerstampfen |
| Portuguese | libra , abrigo, carrocinha , bater , pátio , libra esterlina |
| Spanish | libra , perrera , pilar , depósito, depósito municipal, corralón |
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 pound come from?
From Middle English pound, from Old English pund (“a pound, weight”), from Proto-West Germanic *pund, from Proto-Germanic *pundą (“pound, weight”), an early borrowing from Latin pondō (“by weight”), ablative form of pondus (“weight”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- (“to pull, stretch”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).