siphon
/ˈsaɪfən/noun, verb
siphon is spelled S-I-P-H-O-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, siphon means “A bent pipe or tube with one end lower than the other, in which hydrostatic pressure exerted due to the force of gravity moves liquid from one…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of siphon is siphons.
How many letters and syllables are in siphon?
| Letters | 6: S-I-P-H-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,974th 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 siphon?
Siphon appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th 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 siphon?
- /ˈsaɪfən/
Siphon has 2 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-siphon.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of siphon
- siphons plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- syphon
- siphoning participle, present
- siphoned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does siphon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A bent pipe or tube with one end lower than the other, in which hydrostatic pressure exerted due to the force of gravity moves liquid from one reservoir to another.
- 2
A soda siphon.
- 3
A tubelike organ found in animals or elongated cell found in plants.
verb
- 1
To transfer (liquid) by means of a siphon.
He used a rubber tube to siphon petrol from the car's fuel tank.
- 2
To transfer directly.
- 3
To steal or skim off something, such as money, in small amounts; to embezzle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Siphon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | siphon , siphonner |
| German | Heber , abhebern , unterschlagen, absahnen |
| Portuguese | sifão |
| Spanish | sifón , sifonar |
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 siphon come from?
From Middle French siphon, from Old French sifon, from Latin sīphō, from Ancient Greek σίφων (síphōn, “pipe, tube”), of uncertain origin; possibly related to Latin tibia (“pipe, flute of bone”), with the irregular forms suggesting a non-Indo-European loan source, perhaps of the shape *twi-, *twibh.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).