speculum
/ˈspɛk.jə.ləm/noun
speculum is spelled S-P-E-C-U-L-U-M: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,808th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, speculum means “A medical instrument used during an examination to dilate an orifice” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of speculum is specula or speculums.
How many letters and syllables are in speculum?
| Letters | 8: S-P-E-C-U-L-U-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 54,808th 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 speculum?
Speculum appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,808th 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 speculum?
- UK /ˈspɛk.jʊ.ləm/
- US /ˈspɛk.jə.ləm/
Speculum has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-speculum.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of speculum
- specula plural
- speculums plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does speculum mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A medical instrument used during an examination to dilate an orifice.
- 2
A mirror, especially one used in a telescope.
- 3
A bright, lustrous patch of colour found on the wings of ducks and some other birds, usually situated on the distal portions of the secondary quills, and much more brilliant in the adult male than in the female.
- 4
A lookout place.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Speculum in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | spéculum |
| Spanish | espéculo |
| German | Flügelspiegel |
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 speculum come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin speculum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).