stalemate
/ˈsteɪlmeɪt/noun, verb
stalemate is spelled S-T-A-L-E-M-A-T-E: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, stalemate means “The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of stalemate is stalemates.
How many letters and syllables are in stalemate?
| Letters | 9: S-T-A-L-E-M-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is stalemate?
Stalemate appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd 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 stalemate?
- /ˈsteɪlmeɪt/
Stalemate 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)-Flame,_not_lame-stalemate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stalemate
- stalemates plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- stalemating participle, present
- stalemated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stalemate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw.
- 2
Any situation that has no obvious possible movement, but involves no personal loss.
- 3
Any kind of match in which neither contestant laid claim to victory; a draw.
verb
- 1
To bring about a state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves.
- 2
To bring about a stalemate, in which no advance in an argument is achieved.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stalemate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pat , impasse |
| German | Patt, Pattstellung , Stillstand, Stocken, verfahrene Lage, festgefahrene Lage |
| Portuguese | afogamento , beco sem saída, impasse |
| Spanish | ahogado, rey ahogado, tablas , punto muerto, estancamiento |
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 stalemate come from?
From stale + mate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).