stimulus
/ˈstɪm.jə.ləs/noun
stimulus is spelled S-T-I-M-U-L-U-S: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 6.6 times per million words in written English, the 9,313th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, stimulus means “An external phenomenon that has an influence on a system, by triggering or modifying an internal phenomenon; for example, a spur or incentive that…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of stimulus is stimuluses or stimuli.
How many letters and syllables are in stimulus?
| Letters | 8: S-T-I-M-U-L-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.6 times per million words; the 9,313th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in 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).
How common is stimulus?
Stimulus appears 6.6 times per million words in written English, the 9,313th 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 stimulus?
- US /ˈstɪm.jə.ləs/
Stimulus has 3 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-stimulus.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stimulus
- stimuluses plural
- stimuli plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stimulus mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An external phenomenon that has an influence on a system, by triggering or modifying an internal phenomenon; for example, a spur or incentive that drives a person to take action or change behaviour.
an economic stimulus
- 2
Something external that elicits or influences a physiological or psychological activity or response, or that affects any of the sensory apparatuses.
- 3
A stinging part on the body of a plant or insect.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stimulus in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | stimulus |
| German | Auslöseimpuls , Stimulus |
| Portuguese | estímulo |
| Spanish | estímulo, apetite |
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 stimulus come from?
Borrowed from Latin stimulus (“goad, prick”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).