prayer
/pɹɛɚ/noun
prayer is spelled P-R-A-Y-E-R: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, prayer means “A practice of communicating with one's God, or with some spiritual entity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prayer is prayers.
How many letters and syllables are in prayer?
| Letters | 6: P-R-A-Y-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 26 times per million words; the 3,479th 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 prayer?
Prayer appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th 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 prayer?
- UK /pɹɛə/
- US /pɹɛɚ/
- US /ˈpɹɛɹ/
As a noun (“One who prays”): /ˈpɹeɪə(ɹ)/, /ˈpɹeɪəɹ/.
Prayer has one syllable (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-prayer.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-prayer_(person).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with prayer?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as prayer from its last stressed vowel (/ɛəɹ/):
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 prayer
- prayers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prayer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A practice of communicating with one's God, or with some spiritual entity.
Through prayer I ask for God's guidance.
- 2
An act of praying.
- 3
The specific words or methods used for praying.
Christians recite the Lord's Prayer.
- 4
A meeting held for the express purpose of praying.
Grandpa never misses a chance to go to prayer.
- 5
A request; a petition.
This, your honor, is my prayer; that all here be set free.
- 6
The remotest hope or chance.
That team doesn't have a prayer of winning the championship.
- 7
One who prays.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prayer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prière , prières |
| German | Gebet , Gottesdienst , Beter, Beterin |
| Portuguese | oração, prece, reza , orador, oradora, rezador |
| Spanish | oración, rezo, plegaria , orador, oradora, orante |
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 prayer come from?
From Middle English preiere, from Old French preiere, from Early Medieval Latin precāria, derived from Latin precem. Displaced native Old English ġebed (whence modern English bead).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).