serpent
ser·pent/ˈsɝpənt/noun
serpent is spelled S-E-R-P-E-N-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (ser·pent). It appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, serpent means “A snake-like creature, such as a sea serpent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of serpent is serpents.
How many letters and syllables are in serpent?
| Letters | 7: S-E-R-P-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ser·pent |
| In writing | 2.9 times per million words; the 15,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 serpent?
Serpent appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th 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 serpent?
- UK /ˈsɜːpənt/
- US /ˈsɝpənt/
Serpent has 2 syllables, split ser·pent in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-serpent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with serpent?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as serpent (/ɜɹpənt/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: present.
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 serpent
- serpents plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- serpenting participle, present
- serpented participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does serpent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
archaicA snake.
- 2
archaicAlternative letter-case form of Serpent.
- 3
A snake-like creature, such as a sea serpent.
- 4
A person who is subtle, malicious, treacherous, or deceiving.
- 5
An obsolete wind instrument in the brass family, whose shape is suggestive of a snake (Wikipedia article).
- 6
A kind of firework with a serpentine motion.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo wind or meander
- 2
obsoleteTo encircle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Serpent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | serpent |
| German | Schlange, Wurm , Serpent |
| Portuguese | serpente , serpentão |
| Spanish | serpiente, sierpe , serpentón , serpentear, serpear |
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 serpent come from?
From Middle English serpent, from Old French serpent (“snake, serpent”), from Latin serpēns (“snake”), present active participle of serpere (“to creep, crawl”), from Proto-Italic *serpō, from Proto-Indo-European *serp-. In this sense, displaced native Old English nǣdre (“snake, serpent”), whence Modern English adder.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).