simile
/ˈsɪməli/noun
simile is spelled S-I-M-I-L-E: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,714th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, simile means “A figure of speech in which one thing is explicitly compared to another, using e.g. like or as” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of simile is similes or similia.
How many letters and syllables are in simile?
| Letters | 6: S-I-M-I-L-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 58,714th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 simile?
Simile appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,714th 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 simile?
- US /ˈsɪməli/
- /ˈsəməli/
- /ˈsɪməle/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-simile.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with simile?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as simile from its last stressed vowel (/ɪməli/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: smilie.
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 simile
- similes plural
- similia plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does simile mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A figure of speech in which one thing is explicitly compared to another, using e.g. like or as.
- 2
Similarity or resemblance to something else; likeness, similitude.
- 3
Something similar that's not a clone.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Simile in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | comparaison |
| German | Vergleich, Gleichnis |
| Portuguese | símile |
| Spanish | símil |
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 simile come from?
From Latin simile (“comparison, likeness, parallel”) (first attested 1393), originally from simile, neuter form of similis (“like, similar, resembling”). Compare English similar.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).