scalpel
/ˈskælpəl/noun, verb
scalpel is spelled S-C-A-L-P-E-L: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, scalpel means “A small straight knife with a very sharp blade used for surgery, dissection and craftwork” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of scalpel is scalpels.
How many letters and syllables are in scalpel?
| Letters | 7: S-C-A-L-P-E-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,863rd 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 scalpel?
Scalpel appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd 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 scalpel?
- /ˈskælpəl/
Scalpel 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: En-us-scalpel.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of scalpel
- scalpels plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scalpel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small straight knife with a very sharp blade used for surgery, dissection and craftwork.
verb
- 1
To hit, thrust, or pierce with a scalpel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scalpel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense small straight knife:
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 scalpel come from?
Borrowed from Latin scalpellum, from scalprum (“knife”), from scalpere (“to cut”). Doublet of scalpellum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).