synaesthesia
syn·aes·thes·ia/ˌsɪn.əsˈθi.ʒə/noun
synaesthesia is spelled S-Y-N-A-E-S-T-H-E-S-I-A: 12 letters and 4 syllables (syn·aes·thes·ia). It appears about once in every 18 million words in written English, the 127,184th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, synaesthesia means “A neurological or psychological phenomenon whereby a particular sensory stimulus triggers a second kind of sensation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of synaesthesia is synaesthesiae or synaesthesias.
How many letters and syllables are in synaesthesia?
| Letters | 12: S-Y-N-A-E-S-T-H-E-S-I-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: syn·aes·thes·ia |
| In writing | about once in every 18 million words; the 127,184th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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 synaesthesia?
Synaesthesia appears about once in every 18 million words in written English, the 127,184th 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 synaesthesia?
- UK /ˌsɪn.ɪsˈθiː.ʒə/
- UK /ˌsɪn.ɪsˈθiː.zɪ.ə/
- US /ˌsɪn.əsˈθi.ʒə/
Synaesthesia has 4 syllables, split syn·aes·thes·ia in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-synaesthesia.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with synaesthesia?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as synaesthesia from its last stressed vowel (/iʒə/):
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 synaesthesia
- synaesthesiae plural
- synaesthesias plural
- synæsthesia
- synesthesia
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does synaesthesia mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A neurological or psychological phenomenon whereby a particular sensory stimulus triggers a second kind of sensation.
- 2
The association of one sensory perception with, or description of it in terms of, a different perception that is not experienced at the same time.
- 3
A literary or artistic device whereby one kind of sensation is described in the terms of another.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Synaesthesia in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense neurological or psychological phenomenon:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | synesthésie |
| German | Synästhesie |
| Portuguese | sinestesia |
| Spanish | sinestesia |
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 synaesthesia come from?
From Ancient Greek σύν (sún, “with”) + αἴσθησις (aísthēsis, “sensation”), modelled after anaesthesia. It is analysable as syn- + -aesthesia.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).