scarlet
scar·let/ˈskɑɹlɪt/noun, adjective, verb
scarlet is spelled S-C-A-R-L-E-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (scar·let). It appears 4.4 times per million words in written English, the 12,216th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Scarlet, the name). As a noun, scarlet means “A brilliant red colour sometimes tinged with orange” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of scarlet is scarlets.
How many letters and syllables are in scarlet?
| Letters | 7: S-C-A-R-L-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: scar·let |
| In writing | 4.4 times per million words; the 12,216th 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 scarlet?
Scarlet appears 4.4 times per million words in written English, the 12,216th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Scarlet, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce scarlet?
- US /ˈskɑɹlɪt/
- UK /ˈskɑːlɪt/
- Australia /ˈskɐːlət/
Scarlet has 2 syllables, split scar·let in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-scarlet.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with scarlet?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as scarlet from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹlɪt/):
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 scarlet
- scarlets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more scarlet comparative
- most scarlet superlative
- scarleting participle, present
- scarleted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scarlet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A brilliant red colour sometimes tinged with orange.
- 2
Cloth of a scarlet color.
adjective
- 1
Of a bright red colour.
- 2
Sinful or whorish.
a scarlet woman
- 3
IrelandBlushing; embarrassed or mortified.
He signed off our correspondence, “Well thank God for facemasks, cos I’m scarlet”.
verb
- 1
To dye or tinge (something) with scarlet.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scarlet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | écarlate |
| German | Scharlachrot, Scharlach, scharlachrot, scharlach |
| Portuguese | escarlate |
| Spanish | escarlata , escarlatina |
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 scarlet come from?
From Middle English scarlet, scarlat, borrowed from Old French escarlate (“a type of cloth”), from Medieval Latin scarlātum (“scarlet cloth”), of uncertain origin. This was long thought to derive from Classical Persian سقرلات (saqirlāt, “a warm woollen cloth”), but the Persian word (first attested in the 1290s) is now thought to be from Arabic سِقِلَّات (siqillāt), denoting very expensive, luxury silks dyed scarlet-red using the exceptionally expensive dye, first attested around the ninth century.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).