sterile
/ˈstɛɹəl/adjective
sterile is spelled S-T-E-R-I-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sterile means “Unable to reproduce (or procreate)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sterile?
| Letters | 7: S-T-E-R-I-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.7 times per million words; the 16,455th 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 sterile?
Sterile appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th 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 sterile?
- UK /ˈstɛɹaɪl/
- UK /ˈstɛɹəl/
- US /ˈstɛɹəl/
Sterile 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)-Vealhurl-sterile.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-sterile.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sterile?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sterile from its last stressed vowel (/ɛɹəl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: leister.
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 sterile
- more sterile comparative
- most sterile superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sterile mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Unable to reproduce (or procreate).
- 2
Terse; lacking sentiment or emotional stimulation, as in a manner of speaking.
- 3
Fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive.
- 4
Germless; free from all living or viable microorganisms.
a sterile kitchen table
- 5
Permanently uninhabitable (as in a planet like Earth) to all life, including even microbes.
- 6
Free from dangerous objects, as a zone in an airport that can be only be entered via a security checkpoint.
- 7
USOf weapons: foreign-made and untraceable to the United States.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sterile in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | stérile |
| German | unfruchtbar , steril |
| Portuguese | estéril |
| Spanish | estéril |
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 sterile come from?
From Middle French stérile, from Latin sterilis (“barren, futile”). See also Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).