splice
/ˈsplaɪ̯s/noun, verb
splice is spelled S-P-L-I-C-E: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, splice means “A junction or joining of ropes made by splicing them together” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of splice is splices.
How many letters and syllables are in splice?
| Letters | 6: S-P-L-I-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,063rd 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 splice?
Splice appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd 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 splice?
- US /ˈsplaɪ̯s/
- /ˈsplɐɪ̯s/
- /ˈsplɜɪ̯s/
Splice has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-splice.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with splice?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as splice from its last stressed vowel (/aɪs/):
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 splice
- splices plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- splicing participle, present
- spliced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does splice mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A junction or joining of ropes made by splicing them together.
- 2
The electrical and mechanical connection between two pieces of wire or cable.
- 3
That part of a bat where the handle joins the blade.
If the ball hits the splice, it is likely to dolly up for an easy catch.
- 4
Bonding or joining of overlapping materials.
- 5
The process of removing intron sequences from the pre-messenger RNA, and then joining together exons.
verb
- 1
To unite, as two ropes, or parts of a rope, by a particular manner of interweaving the strands, the union being between two ends, or between an end and the body of a rope.
- 2
To unite, as spars, timbers, rails, etc., by lapping the two ends together, or by applying a piece which laps upon the two ends, and then binding, or in any way making fast.
- 3
slangTo unite in marriage.
- 4
To unite as if splicing.
He argues against attempts to splice different genres or species of literature into a single composition.
- 5
To remove intron sequences from the pre-messenger RNA, and then join together exons.
- 6
To add, remove and/or replace several array/data elements in one operation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Splice in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | épissure , épisser |
| German | Verbindung, Spleiß , spleißen |
| Spanish | empalme , empalmar, ayustar |
| Portuguese | emendar , misturar |
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 splice come from?
Circa 1525, borrowed from Middle Dutch splissen (Modern Dutch splitsen); akin to Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”), German spleißen (“to split, splice”), Spliss (“split ends, hair breakage”), French épisser (also from Dutch). The Dutch word originally referred only to the fraying of the ropes' ends but was then also used for the entire process of fraying and retying; hence the peculiar semantic development from “split” to “join”. The same development occurred in German.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).