soldier
sol·dier/ˈsoʊld͡ʒɚ/noun, verb
soldier is spelled S-O-L-D-I-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables (sol·dier). It appears 29 times per million words in written English, the 3,218th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, soldier means “A member of a ground-based army, of any rank, but especially an enlisted member” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of soldier is soldiers.
How many letters and syllables are in soldier?
| Letters | 7: S-O-L-D-I-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sol·dier |
| In writing | 29 times per million words; the 3,218th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is soldier?
Soldier appears 29 times per million words in written English, the 3,218th 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 soldier?
- UK /ˈsəʊld͡ʒə/
- UK /ˈsɒld͡ʒə/
- US /ˈsoʊld͡ʒɚ/
Soldier has 2 syllables, split sol·dier in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-soldier.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-soldier.wav, En-us-soldier.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of soldier
- soldiers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- sojah
- soldiuh
- soldiering participle, present
- soldiered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does soldier mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A member of a ground-based army, of any rank, but especially an enlisted member.
My friends and I saw a soldier questioning a man holding a bag with a gun in his pocket.
- 2
nonstandardAny member of a military, regardless of specialty.
- 3
An enlisted member of a military service, as distinguished from a commissioned officer.
She saw a soldier while collecting her baggage at the airport.
- 4
A guardsman.
- 5
A member of the Salvation Army.
- 6
A low-ranking gangster or member of a gang, especially the mafia, who engages in physical conflict.
- 7
AustraliaIrelandUKA piece of buttered bread (or toast), cut into a long thin strip for dipping into a soft-boiled egg.
- 8
A term of approbation for a young boy.
verb
- 1
To continue steadfast; to keep striving.
- 2
To serve as a soldier.
- 3
To intentionally restrict labor productivity; to work at the slowest rate that goes unpunished.
- 4
slangTo take a ride on (another person's horse) without permission.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Soldier in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | soldat , mouillette |
| German | Soldat, Soldatin , Kämpfer |
| Portuguese | soldado |
| Spanish | soldado, militar, milico, áscari, cuilío , campión (disused) |
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 soldier come from?
Inherited from Middle English soudeour, from Old French soudier or soudeour (“mercenary”), from Medieval Latin soldarius (“soldier (one having pay)”), from Late Latin solidus, a type of coin. Displaced Old English cempa (whence obsolete kemp). (red herring): An allusion to soldiers' red uniforms; red herring is, reciprocally, a slang term for "soldier".
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).