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PlainSpell

silver

sil·ver/ˈsɪl.vɚ/noun, adjective, verb

silver is spelled S-I-L-V-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (sil·ver). It appears 65 times per million words in written English, the 1,636th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, silver means “A lustrous, white, metallic element, atomic number 47, atomic weight 107.87, symbol Ag” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of silver is silvers.

How many letters and syllables are in silver?

Letters6: S-I-L-V-E-R
Syllables2: sil·ver
In writing65 times per million words; the 1,636th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 silver?

Silver appears 65 times per million words in written English, the 1,636th 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 silver?

  • UK /ˈsɪl.və/
  • US /ˈsɪl.vɚ/

Silver has 2 syllables, split sil·ver in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-silver.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Tesco250-silver.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with silver?

No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as silver (/ɪlvəɹ/).

Spelled with the same letters in another order: sliver.

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 silver

  • silvers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • more silver comparative
  • most silver superlative
  • silvering participle, present
  • silvered participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does silver mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A lustrous, white, metallic element, atomic number 47, atomic weight 107.87, symbol Ag.

  2. 2

    Coins made from silver or any similar white metal.

  3. 3

    Cutlery and other eating utensils, whether silver or made from some other white metal.

  4. 4

    Any items made from silver or any other white metal.

  5. 5

    A shiny gray color.

  6. 6

    A silver medal.

  7. 7

    Anything resembling silver; something shiny and white.

adjective

  1. 1

    Made from silver.

  2. 2

    Made from another white metal.

  3. 3

    Having a color like silver: a shiny gray.

  4. 4

    Denoting the twenty-fifth anniversary, especially of a wedding.

    Mostly, these have been relationships of 10 or less years. However, one respondent has celebrated her silver wedding anniversary.

  5. 5

    Premium, but inferior to gold.

  6. 6

    Pertaining or relating to elderly persons.

  7. 7

    Having the clear, musical tone of silver; soft and clear in sound.

    a silver-voiced young girl

verb

  1. 1

    To acquire a silvery colour.

  2. 2

    To cover with silver, or with a silvery metal.

    to silver a pin; to silver a glass mirror plate with an amalgam of tin and mercury

  3. 3

    To polish like silver; to impart a brightness to, like that of silver.

  4. 4

    To make hoary, or white, like silver.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Silver in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchargent (metal), argenterie (cutlery/silverware), en argent (made from silver), argenté (having a color/colour like silver)
GermanSilber (metal), Silbergeschirr (cutlery/silverware), silbern (made from silver), silberfarbig (having a color/colour like silver), Silbergeld (coins), Silberware (items made of silver or other white metal)
Portugueseprata (metal), prataria (cutlery/silverware), de prata (made from silver), argênteo (having a color/colour like silver), (moedas de) prata (coins), prateado (color/colour)
Spanishplata, argento, luna (metal), platería (cutlery/silverware), (monedas de) plata (coins), plateado (color/colour)

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 silver come from?

Inherited from Middle English silver, selver, sulver, from Old English seolfor, from Proto-West Germanic *silubr, from Proto-Germanic *silubrą (“silver”), of uncertain origin.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after silver