star
/stɑɹ/noun, verb
star is spelled S-T-A-R: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 155 times per million words in written English, the 657th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, star means “Any small, natural and bright dot in the sky, most visible in the night or twilight sky. This sense includes the planets, but it is now sometimes…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of star is stars.
How many letters and syllables are in star?
| Letters | 4: S-T-A-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 155 times per million words; the 657th 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 star?
Star appears 155 times per million words in written English, the 657th 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 star?
- UK /stɑː(ɹ)/
- US /stɑɹ/
- Australia /staː(ɹ)/
Star has one syllable (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: En-uk-star.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-star.wav, En-us-star.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with star?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as star from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: arts, rats, tsar, sart.
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 star
- stars plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- starring participle, present
- starred participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does star mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any small, natural and bright dot in the sky, most visible in the night or twilight sky. This sense includes the planets, but it is now sometimes used in exclusion of them due to influence from the technical astronomical sense.
He loved watching the stars in the sky with her.
- 2
A planet thought to influence one's fate; (figuratively) fate or luck.
What's in the stars for you today? Find out in our horoscope.
- 3
A very massive ball of plasma with strong enough gravity to have ongoing fusion of hydrogen or heavier elements in its core. In strict technical usage, the Sun is included.
- 4
An asterisk (*) or comparable symbol (e.g., ★, ☆, ✶, ✦, ✧, ✷, ✪, ⭐) inspired by a celestial star.
- 5
A network topology with multiple computers individually merging to one central switch, thus free of risk of collisions. A single point of failure can occur if the switch experiences corruption.
- 6
A simple dance, or part of a dance, where a group of four dancers each put their right or left hand in the middle and turn around in a circle. You call them right-hand stars or left-hand stars, depending on the hand which is in the middle.
- 7
A star-shaped ornament worn on the breast to indicate rank or honour in a military. Now often used metonymically for military rankings.
three-star general
- 8
A symbol used to rate hotels, films, etc. with a higher number of stars denoting better quality.
verb
- 1
To appear as a featured performer or headliner, especially in an entertainment program.
She starred in dozens of silent movies.
- 2
To feature (a performer or a headliner), especially in a movie or an entertainment program.
The show stars Calista Flockhart as a high-powered lawyer.
- 3
To mark with a star or asterisk.
- 4
To set or adorn with stars, or bright, radiating bodies; to bespangle.
- 5
To shine like a star.
noun
- 1
Acronym of standard terminal arrival.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Star in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | étoile, astre , vedette , protagoniser, tenir le rôle principal |
| German | Stern, Gestirn, Himmelskörper , Prominenter, Prominente , die Hauptrolle spielen |
| Portuguese | estrela , astro , protagonizar, estrelar |
| Spanish | estrella, astro , estelarizar, protagonizar |
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 star come from?
From Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra (“star”), from Proto-West Germanic *sterrō, variant of *sternō, from Proto-Germanic *sternô, *sternǭ (“star”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr (“star”). Doublet of aster; related to estoile, étoile, stella, and stelo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).