slander
/ˈslændɚ/noun, verb
slander is spelled S-L-A-N-D-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, slander means “A false or unsupported, malicious statement (spoken, not written), especially one which is injurious to a person's reputation; the making of such a…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of slander is slanders.
How many letters and syllables are in slander?
| Letters | 7: S-L-A-N-D-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th 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 slander?
Slander appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th 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 slander?
- UK /ˈslɑːndə/
- UK /ˈslandə/
- US /ˈslændɚ/
Slander 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-slander.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with slander?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as slander from its last stressed vowel (/ændəɹ/):
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 slander
- slanders plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- slandre
- slandering participle, present
- slandered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does slander mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A false or unsupported, malicious statement (spoken, not written), especially one which is injurious to a person's reputation; the making of such a statement.
- 2
Vehement (and often exaggerated) criticism of a character, franchise, etc.
verb
- 1
To utter a slanderous statement about; baselessly speak ill of; to wrong.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Slander in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | diffamation (orale), calomnie (orale) , calomnier verbalement |
| German | Verleumdung, Lästerung, Diffamierung , mündlich verleumden, mündlich verunglimpfen, verleumden |
| Portuguese | calúnia, injúria, aleive, aleivosia , caluniar, injuriar |
| Spanish | calumniar, dejar negro, pelar |
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 slander come from?
From Middle English slaundre, sclaundre, from Old French esclandre, from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum (“stumbling block, temptation”), from Ancient Greek σκάνδαλον (skándalon, “scandal”). Doublet of scandal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).