semester
se·mes·ter/sɪˈmɛstɚ/noun
semester is spelled S-E-M-E-S-T-E-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables (se·mes·ter). It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, semester means “Half of a school year (US) or academic year such as autumn or spring semester” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of semester is semesters.
How many letters and syllables are in semester?
| Letters | 8: S-E-M-E-S-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: se·mes·ter |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,784th 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 semester?
Semester appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th 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 semester?
- UK /sɪˈmɛstə/
- US /sɪˈmɛstɚ/
Semester has 3 syllables, split se·mes·ter in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-semester.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with semester?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as semester from its last stressed vowel (/ɛstəɹ/):
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 semester
- semesters plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does semester mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Half of a school year (US) or academic year such as autumn or spring semester.
I will graduate at the end of the spring semester.
- 2
A period or term of six months.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate semester?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of semester: sem.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Semester in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense half of school year:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | semestre, trimestre |
| German | Semester, Halbjahr |
| Portuguese | semestre |
| Spanish | semestre, ciclo |
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 semester come from?
From German Semester, from New Latin sēmestris (“lasting six months”), from sex (“six”) + mēnsis (“month”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).