starling
star·ling/ˈstɑɹlɪŋ/noun
starling is spelled S-T-A-R-L-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables (star·ling). It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, starling means “A family, Sturnidae, of passerine birds” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of starling is starlings.
How many letters and syllables are in starling?
| Letters | 8: S-T-A-R-L-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: star·ling |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,820th 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 starling?
Starling appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th 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 starling?
- UK /ˈstɑːlɪŋ/
- UK [ˈstɑːlɪŋ]
- US /ˈstɑɹlɪŋ/
Starling has 2 syllables, split star·ling in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-starling.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with starling
Also written: sterling.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with starling?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as starling from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹlɪŋ/):
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 starling
- starlings plural
- sterling
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does starling mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A family, Sturnidae, of passerine birds.
- 2
The common starling, Sturnus vulgaris, which has dark, iridescent plumage.
- 3
A fish, rock trout (Hexagrammos spp.), of the North Pacific, especially, Hexagrammos decagrammus, found in US waters.
- 4
An enclosure like a coffer-dam, formed of piles driven closely together before any structure or work, as a protection against the wash of waves, commonly used to protect the piers of a bridge.
- 5
One of the piles used in forming such a breakwater.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Starling in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | étourneau , bec |
| German | Star , Eisbrecher |
| Portuguese | estorninho |
| Spanish | estornino |
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.