Shakespearean
/ʃeɪkˈspɪɹi.ən/adjective, noun
Shakespearean is spelled S-H-A-K-E-S-P-E-A-R-E-A-N: 13 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, Shakespearean means “Of or pertaining to, characteristic of, associated with, or suggestive of William Shakespeare (an English playwright), his works, or his authorship…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in Shakespearean?
| Letters | 13: S-H-A-K-E-S-P-E-A-R-E-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,636th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 Shakespearean?
Shakespearean appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th 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 Shakespearean?
- UK /ʃeɪkˈspɪəɹi.ən/
- US /ʃeɪkˈspɪɹi.ən/
Shakespearean 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-Shakespearean.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-Shakespearean.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with Shakespearean?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as Shakespearean from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɹiən/):
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 Shakespearean
- more Shakespearean comparative
- most Shakespearean superlative
- Shakespearian
- Shakespeareans plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does Shakespearean mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to, characteristic of, associated with, or suggestive of William Shakespeare (an English playwright), his works, or his authorship, or the time in which he lived.
- 2
Derivative of Shakespeare's works or authorship.
- 3
Composed of Shakespearean sonnets.
noun
- 1
A scholar of the works of Shakespeare.
- 2
A person trained to act in Shakespeare's plays.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shakespearean in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense pertaining to Shakespeare or his works:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | shakespearien |
| Portuguese | shakespeariano |
| Spanish | shakespeariano |
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 Shakespearean come from?
From Shakespeare + -ean.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).