slender
slen·der/ˈslɛndɚ/adjective, verb
slender is spelled S-L-E-N-D-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables (slen·der). It appears 3.9 times per million words in written English, the 13,127th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, slender means “Thin; slim” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in slender?
| Letters | 7: S-L-E-N-D-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: slen·der |
| In writing | 3.9 times per million words; the 13,127th 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; 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 slender?
Slender appears 3.9 times per million words in written English, the 13,127th 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 slender?
- UK /ˈslɛndə/
- US /ˈslɛndɚ/
- Australia /ˈslendə/
Slender has 2 syllables, split slen·der in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-slender.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Simplificationalizer-slender.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with slender?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as slender from its last stressed vowel (/ɛndəɹ/):
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 slender
- slenderer comparative
- more slender comparative
- slenderest superlative
- most slender superlative
- slenders present, singular, he/she/it
- slendering participle, present
- slendered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does slender mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Thin; slim.
A rod is a long slender pole used for angling.
- 2
Meagre; deficient.
Being a person of slender means, he was unable to afford any luxuries.
- 3
Palatalized.
verb
- 1
To attenuate.
noun
- 1
UKobsoleteslangA simple country gentleman.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Slender in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense thin:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | svelte, mince |
| German | schlank |
| Portuguese | esbelto, magro |
| Spanish | esbelto, slender (slénder) |
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 slender come from?
From Middle English slendre, sclendre, from Old French esclendre (“thin, slender”), from Middle Dutch slinder (“thin, lank”), from Proto-Germanic *slindraz (“sliding, slippery”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃sleydʰ- (“to slip”). Cognate with Bavarian Schlenderling (“that which dangles”), German schlendern (“to saunter, stroll”), Dutch slidderen, slinderen (“to wriggle, creep like a serpent”), Low German slindern (“to slide on ice”). More at slide, slither.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).