superlative
/suːˈpɜːlətɪv/adjective, noun
superlative is spelled S-U-P-E-R-L-A-T-I-V-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, superlative means “Having the power to carry something or someone above, over or beyond others” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in superlative?
| Letters | 11: S-U-P-E-R-L-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th 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 superlative?
Superlative appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th 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 superlative?
- UK /suːˈpɜːlətɪv/
- UK /sjuːˈpɜːlətɪv/
- British /sʉwˈpəːlətɪv/
Superlative has 4 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: En-gb-superlative.ogg, En-au-superlative.ogg, En-us-superlative.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of superlative
- superlatives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does superlative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having the power to carry something or someone above, over or beyond others.
- 2
Exceptionally good; of the highest quality.
- 3
Of or relating to the superlative degree (a degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs).
noun
- 1
The extreme (e.g. highest, lowest, deepest, farthest, etc) extent or degree of something.
- 2
The degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb used when comparing three or more entities in terms of a certain property or a certain way of doing something. In English, the superlative of superiority is formed by adding the suffix -est or the word most (e.g. tiniest, most fully); the superlative of inferiority, by adding the word least (e.g. least big, least fully).
- 3
An adjective or adverb in the superlative degree.
Daniel is amazing, wonderful, fantastic, and many other superlatives I can’t think of right now!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate superlative?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of superlative: sup..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Superlative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | superlatif , suprême , summum |
| German | höchst, hervorragend, superlativ , Superlativ, Höchststufe , superlativisch |
| Portuguese | supremo, superlativo |
| Spanish | supremo , superlativo |
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 superlative come from?
From Middle English superlatyf, from Old French superlatif, from Late Latin superlātīvus, from Latin superlātus (“carried above, over; extravagant, of hyperbole”), past participle of superfero (“carry over”), from super (“above”) + fero (“bear, carry”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).