silicone
/ˈsɪlɪkəʊn/noun, verb, adjective
silicone is spelled S-I-L-I-C-O-N-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,122nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, silicone means “Any of a class of inert, semi-inorganic polymeric compounds (polysiloxanes), that have a wide range of thermal stability and extreme water…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of silicone is silicones.
How many letters and syllables are in silicone?
| Letters | 8: S-I-L-I-C-O-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.5 times per million words; the 17,122nd 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 silicone?
Silicone appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,122nd 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 silicone?
- /ˈsɪlɪkəʊn/
Silicone has 3 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-silicone.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-silicone.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of silicone
- silicones plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- siliconing participle, present
- siliconed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does silicone mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of a class of inert, semi-inorganic polymeric compounds (polysiloxanes), that have a wide range of thermal stability and extreme water repellence, used in a very wide range of industrial applications, and in prosthetic replacements for body parts.
verb
- 1
To join or treat (something) with a silicone-based product.
silicone the bathtub to the tile
- 2
informalTo enhance or reconstruct (a body part) with a prosthesis containing silicone.
adjective
- 1
slangHaving had cosmetic surgery, especially breast enlargement.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Silicone in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense any of a class of inert compounds of silicon:
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 silicone come from?
From silicon + -one. Originally obtained by the attempted synthesis of the silicon equivalent of a ketone.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).