stillborn
/ˈstɪlbɔː(ɹ)n/adjective, noun
stillborn is spelled S-T-I-L-L-B-O-R-N: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, stillborn means “Dead at birth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in stillborn?
| Letters | 9: S-T-I-L-L-B-O-R-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,832nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is stillborn?
Stillborn appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd 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 stillborn?
- /ˈstɪlbɔː(ɹ)n/
Stillborn 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-stillborn.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with stillborn
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: still-born (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of stillborn
- still-born
- stillborns plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stillborn mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Dead at birth.
- 2
Ignored, without influence, or unsuccessful from the outset; abortive.
noun
- 1
A baby that is born dead.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stillborn in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mort-né |
| German | totgeboren , Totgeburt |
| Portuguese | natimorto, nado-morto , natimorta |
| Spanish | nacido muerto, mortinato, natimorto |
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 stillborn come from?
From English still + born. First attested in 1597.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).