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PlainSpell

sterling

ster·ling/ˈstɜɹlɪŋ/noun, adjective

sterling is spelled S-T-E-R-L-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables (ster·ling). It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sterling means “An English silver penny first introduced by the Normans” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sterling is sterlings.

How many letters and syllables are in sterling?

Letters8: S-T-E-R-L-I-N-G
Syllables2: ster·ling
In writing13 times per million words; the 5,778th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Sounds like
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 sterling?

Sterling appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th 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 sterling?

  • UK /ˈstɜːlɪŋ/
  • US /ˈstɜɹlɪŋ/
  • /ˈstɛɾlɪŋ/

Sterling has 2 syllables, split ster·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-sterling.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-sterling.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with sterling

Sounds like: Stirling (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).

Also written: starling.

Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with sterling?

2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sterling from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹlɪŋ/):

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 sterling

  • sterlings plural
  • more sterling comparative
  • most sterling superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does sterling mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    An English silver penny first introduced by the Normans.

  2. 2

    A penny issued in other countries, such as Scotland.

  3. 3

    The currency of the United Kingdom, also called the pound sterling

  4. 4

    Short for sterling silver (“an alloy containing not less than 92.5 percent silver, the remainder usually being copper; articles made from this alloy collectively”).

  5. 5

    Former British gold or silver coinage of a standard fineness (0.91666 for gold and 0.925 for silver).

  6. 6

    obsoleteSynonym of pennyweight (“a unit of mass equal to 24 grains, or ¹⁄₂₀ of a troy ounce”)

  7. 7

    obsoleteMoney generally.

  8. 8

    obsoleteThe standard degree of fineness.

adjective

  1. 1

    Of or relating to the currency of the United Kingdom, or former types of English or British coinage.

  2. 2

    Of silver: being of standard quality.

  3. 3

    Of a thing: of or relating to, or made from, sterling silver.

  4. 4

    archaicOf English (or (obsolete) Scottish) currency: genuine, of legal tender.

  5. 5

    Of acknowledged influence; authoritative; also, of high or excellent quality; of proven worth.

  6. 6

    obsoleteHaving currency (“general acceptance, recognition, or use”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Sterling in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Portugueseesterlina (currency of the United Kingdom, based on the…), esterlino (of or relating to the currency of the United…)
Spanishlibra esterlina (currency of the United Kingdom, based on the…)

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 sterling come from?

From Middle English sterling, possibly from Old English *steorling, from steorra (“star”) and -ling, in reference to the stars that appeared on certain English pennies. Alternatively, the first element may be *stēre, meaning “strong” or “stout” (compare the etymology of solidus).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after sterling