Somali
So·ma·li/soʊˈmɑːli/noun, adjective
Somali is spelled S-O-M-A-L-I: 6 letters and 3 syllables (So·ma·li). It appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, Somali means “An ethnic group native to the Somali Peninsula; a Somali, a group of Somalis, the Somalis” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of Somali is Somalis.
How many letters and syllables are in Somali?
| Letters | 6: S-O-M-A-L-I |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: So·ma·li |
| In writing | 3.4 times per million words; the 14,307th 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 Somali?
Somali appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th 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 Somali?
- UK /səˈmɑːli/
- US /soʊˈmɑːli/
- US /səˈmɑːli/
Somali has 3 syllables, split So·ma·li in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-Somali.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with Somali?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as Somali from its last stressed vowel (/ɑli/):
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 Somali
- Somalis plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does Somali mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An ethnic group native to the Somali Peninsula; a Somali, a group of Somalis, the Somalis.
Historically, Somalis were a nomadic people herding camels, goats, and sheep. Nowadays, many if not most Somalis are urbanized people.
- 2
The Somali ethnic group as a whole; the Somali.
The Somali are an ethnic group of Cushitic origin indigenous to the Somali Peninsula. Their language is called Somali.
- 3
A citizen or resident from the country of Somalia.
- 4
A person from a Somali-majority republic, state, or region, including but not limited to: the Republic of Somaliland, the Somali region of Ethiopia (often called the Ogaden, but more neutrally the Somali region), or autonomous states within Somalia's federal system such as Puntland.
- 5
A domestic cat breed derived from the Abyssinian cat.
adjective
- 1
Of, from, or pertaining to Somalia, the Somali people or language.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Somali in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | somali , Somalien, Somalienne , somalien |
| German | Somali, Somalisch , Somalier, Somalierin , somalisch |
| Portuguese | somali , somaliano |
| Spanish | somalí |
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 Somali come from?
From or akin to Somali Soomaali.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).