pyramid
/ˈpɪɹ.ə.mɪd/noun, verb
pyramid is spelled P-Y-R-A-M-I-D. The wrong spelling people search most is piramid: about 120 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 88 of all searches for the word. Pyramid is a noun meaning “An ancient massive construction with a square or rectangular base and four triangular sides meeting in an…”. The plural of pyramid is pyramids.
How many letters and syllables are in pyramid?
| Letters | 7: P-Y-R-A-M-I-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.6 times per million words; the 10,358th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, piramid, about 120 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
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); 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).
How do you spell pyramid?
Pyramid is spelled P-Y-R-A-M-I-D. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 88 of the searches for pyramid in either form.
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). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is pyramid?
Pyramid appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th 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 pyramid?
- US /ˈpɪɹ.ə.mɪd/
- /ˈpɪɹ.ə.məd/
Pyramid has 3 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: En-us-pyramid.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pyramid
- pyramids plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pyramiding participle, present
- pyramided participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pyramid mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An ancient massive construction with a square or rectangular base and four triangular sides meeting in an apex, such as those built as tombs in Egypt or as bases for temples in Mesoamerica.
- 2
A construction in the shape of a pyramid, usually with a square or rectangular base.
- 3
A solid with triangular lateral faces and a polygonal (often square or rectangular) base.
- 4
Any structure or diagram with many members at the bottom and progressively fewer towards the top.
The company was organized as a pyramid, with a CEO in charge of four directors, each heading up a department.
- 5
A medullary pyramid, the medial-most bumps on the ventral side of the medulla oblongata
- 6
UKdatedThe game of pool in which the balls are placed in the form of a triangle at spot.
- 7
A pyramid scheme.
- 8
Alternative letter-case form of Pyramid. (a solitaire card game)
verb
- 1
To build up or be arranged in the form of a pyramid.
- 2
To combine (a series of genes) into a single genotype.
- 3
To employ, or take part in, a pyramid scheme.
- 4
To engage in pyramid trading.
- 5
datedTo increase to or towards a peak.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pyramid in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense ancient construction:
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 pyramid come from?
From French pyramide, from Old French piramide, from Latin pȳramis, pȳramidis, from Ancient Greek πῡραμίς (pūramís), possibly from πῡρός (pūrós, “wheat”) + ἀμάω (amáō, “reap”) or from Egyptian pr-m-ws (“height of a pyramid”), from pr (“(one that) comes forth”) + m (“from”) + ws (“height”). Schenkel and K. Lang proposed hypothetical Coptic *ⲡⲓⲣⲁⲙ (*piram) or *ⲫⲣⲁⲙ (*phram) derived from Egyptian mr via metathesis as a source of πῡραμίς (pūramís) while Schenkel also suggested it being the source of Arabic هَرَم (haram) although the latter is considered far-fetched by Takacs.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).