pylon
/ˈpaɪ.lən/noun
pylon is spelled P-Y-L-O-N: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pylon means “A gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pylon is pylons.
How many letters and syllables are in pylon?
| Letters | 5: P-Y-L-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,187th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is pylon?
Pylon appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th 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 pylon?
- /ˈpaɪ.lɒn/
- UK /ˈpaɪ.lən/
Pylon 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pylon.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pylon
- pylons plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pylon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple.
- 2
A tower-like structure, usually one of a series, used to support high-voltage electricity cables.
- 3
A pillar used to support a bridge.
- 4
A tall steel or concrete tower from which cables are strung.
- 5
A lighting mast; a freestanding support for floodlights.
- 6
A structure used to mount engines, missiles etc., to the underside of an aircraft wing or fuselage.
- 7
A starting derrick for an aeroplane.
- 8
A post, tower, etc. as on an aerodrome, or flying ground, serving to bound or mark a prescribed course of flight.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pylon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pylône |
| German | Pylon , Strommast |
| Portuguese | pilone, pilono , torre, poste |
| Spanish | torre , pilote, pilón |
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 pylon come from?
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πυλών (pulṓn, “gateway”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).