rhododendron
/ɹoʊdəˈdɛndɹən/noun
rhododendron is spelled R-H-O-D-O-D-E-N-D-R-O-N: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,738th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rhododendron means “Any of various flowering shrubs in the genus Rhododendron” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rhododendron is rhododendrons or rhododendra.
How many letters and syllables are in rhododendron?
| Letters | 12: R-H-O-D-O-D-E-N-D-R-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,738th 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 rhododendron?
Rhododendron appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,738th 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 rhododendron?
- US /ɹoʊdəˈdɛndɹən/
Rhododendron has 4 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-rhododendron.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of rhododendron
- rhododendrons plural
- rhododendra plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rhododendron mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteOleander (Nerium oleander).
- 2
Any of various flowering shrubs in the genus Rhododendron.
- 3
UKEspecially, the common rhododendron or Pontic rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rhododendron in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rhododendron |
| German | Rhododendron, Alpenrose |
| Portuguese | rododendro, azaleia |
| Spanish | rododendro |
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 rhododendron come from?
The obsolete sense derives from Latin rhododendron (“oleander”), from Ancient Greek ῥοδόδενδρον (rhodódendron, “oleander”), from ῥόδον (rhódon, “rose”) + δένδρον (déndron, “tree”). The modern sense comes through the intermediary of the genus name Rhododendron, not closely related taxonomically, but with similar flowers to those of oleander.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).