pterygopalatine
/ˌtɛɹ.əɡ.oʊˈpæl.əˌtaɪn/adjective
pterygopalatine is spelled P-T-E-R-Y-G-O-P-A-L-A-T-I-N-E: 15 letters and 6 syllables. It appears about once in every 87 million words in written English, the 297,763rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, pterygopalatine means “Of or pertaining to the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone and the palatine bone” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pterygopalatine?
| Letters | 15: P-T-E-R-Y-G-O-P-A-L-A-T-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 6 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 87 million words; the 297,763rd 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; 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 pterygopalatine?
Pterygopalatine appears about once in every 87 million words in written English, the 297,763rd 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 pterygopalatine?
- UK /ˌtɛ.ɹɪɡ.ə(ʊ)ˈpal.ə.tʌɪn/
- US /ˌtɛɹ.əɡ.oʊˈpæl.əˌtaɪn/
Pterygopalatine has 6 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with pterygopalatine?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pterygopalatine from its last stressed vowel (/ælətaɪn/):
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 pterygopalatine
- pterygopalatin
- pterygopalate
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pterygopalatine mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone and the palatine bone.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pterygopalatine in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of or pertaining to the pterygoid process and the palatine bone:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | pterigopalatino |
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 pterygopalatine come from?
Borrowed from French ptérygo-palatin, from New Latin pterygopalātīnus, from pterygoīdēs (“winglike”) + palātīnus (“relating to the palate”); equivalent to pterygo- + palatine.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).