solo
/ˈsoʊ.loʊ/noun, adjective, adverb, verb
solo is spelled S-O-L-O: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 41 times per million words in written English, the 2,438th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, solo means “A piece of music for one performer” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of solo is solos or soli.
How many letters and syllables are in solo?
| Letters | 4: S-O-L-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 41 times per million words; the 2,438th 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 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 solo?
Solo appears 41 times per million words in written English, the 2,438th 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 solo?
- US /ˈsoʊ.loʊ/
- US /ˈsoʊl.oʊ/
- UK /ˈsəʊ.ləʊ/
Solo 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-solo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with solo?
8 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as solo from its last stressed vowel (/oʊloʊ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: loos, sool.
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 solo
- solos plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- soli plural
- soloes present, singular, he/she/it
- soloing participle, present
- soloed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does solo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A piece of music for one performer.
- 2
A job or performance done by one person alone.
- 3
A card game similar to whist in which each player plays against the others in turn without a partner
- 4
A single shot of espresso.
- 5
An instance of soloing the football.
adjective
- 1
Without a companion or instructor.
- 2
Of, or relating to, a musical solo.
adverb
- 1
Alone, without a companion.
verb
- 1
To perform a solo.
- 2
To perform something in the absence of anyone else.
- 3
To drop the ball and then toe-kick it upward into the hands.
- 4
slangTo independently perform an action, especially a challenging task.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Solo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | solo , solitaire |
| German | Solo , einzeln , solo , ein Solo spielen , allein machen |
| Portuguese | solo , solar |
| Spanish | solo , tocar un solo , ir por su cuenta , aria, romanza , solitario |
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 solo come from?
Borrowed from Italian solo, from Latin sōlus, probably related to se (“himself”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).