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PlainSpell

super

su·perUK /ˈsuːpə/adjective, adverb, noun, verb

super is spelled S-U-P-E-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables (su·per). It appears 120 times per million words in written English, the 873rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, super means “Of excellent quality, superfine” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in super?

Letters5: S-U-P-E-R
Syllables2: su·per
In writing120 times per million words; the 873rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Sounds like
Rhymes with
Same letters

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 super?

Super appears 120 times per million words in written English, the 873rd 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 super?

  • UK /ˈsuːpə/
  • British /ˈsʉwpə/
  • [ˈsypɑ]

Super has 2 syllables, split su·per in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-super-without-yod.ogg, En-ca-super.ogg, En-au-super.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with super

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

Also written: especially, superannuation, superintendent.

Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with super?

One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as super from its last stressed vowel (/upə/, British pronunciation):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: purse, sprue.

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 super

  • supers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • supering participle, present
  • supered participle, past

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

What does super mean?

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

adjective

  1. 1

    Of excellent quality, superfine.

  2. 2

    Better than average, better than usual; wonderful.

adverb

  1. 1

    colloquialVery; extremely (used like the prefix super-).

    The party was super awesome.

  2. 2

    colloquialAbsolutely; utterly.

    I super don't care about that.

noun

  1. 1

    AustraliacolloquialinformalClipping of superannuation.

    Jane looked forward to collecting a large super payout when she retired.

  2. 2

    colloquialClipping of supercomputer.

  3. 3

    colloquialslangClipping of superhero.

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:super.

  4. 4

    colloquialClipping of superhive.

  5. 5

    UScolloquialinformalClipping of superintendent, especially, a building's resident manager (sometimes clarified as “building super”).

  6. 6

    colloquialClipping of supernaturalist, especially as distinguished from bright.

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:super.

  7. 7

    colloquialClipping of supernumerary; (theater) specifically, a supernumerary actor.

  8. 8

    colloquialClipping of supertanker.

verb

  1. 1

    colloquialClipping of superhive.

    The question is: when is the best time to super?

  2. 2

    colloquialClipping of superimpose.

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

Super in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchsuper (better than usual)
Germansuper (better than usual), über- (above, over, or upon), super- (superior in size, quality, number, degree…)
Portuguesesúper (better than usual), sobre- (above, over, or upon), super- (superior in size, quality, number, degree…)
Spanishsúper, sumamente, recontra-, requetecontra, requete-, pero que muy (better than usual)

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 super come from?

From super- (prefix), from Middle English super-, from Latin super-, from super (“above”). Doublet of over and hyper.

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

What to look up after super