terminal
/ˈtɝmɪnəl/noun, adjective, verb
terminal is spelled T-E-R-M-I-N-A-L: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 20 times per million words in written English, the 4,224th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, terminal means “A building in an airport where passengers transfer from ground transportation to the facilities that allow them to board airplanes” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of terminal is terminals.
How many letters and syllables are in terminal?
| Letters | 8: T-E-R-M-I-N-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 20 times per million words; the 4,224th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is terminal?
Terminal appears 20 times per million words in written English, the 4,224th 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 terminal?
- UK /ˈtɜːmɪnəl/
- US /ˈtɝmɪnəl/
- Australia /ˈtɜːmɪnəl/
Terminal 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)-Back_ache-terminal.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-terminal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with terminal?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as terminal (/ɜɹmɪnəl/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: tramline.
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 terminal
- terminals plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more terminal comparative
- most terminal superlative
- terminaling US, participle, present
- terminalling UK, participle, present
- terminaled US, participle, past
- terminalled UK, participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does terminal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A building in an airport where passengers transfer from ground transportation to the facilities that allow them to board airplanes.
Terminal 1 is for domestic flights, whereas Terminal 2 is for international flights.
- 2
A harbour facility where ferries embark and disembark passengers and load and unload vehicles.
- 3
A rail station where service begins and ends; the end of the line. For example: Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
- 4
A rate charged on all freight, regardless of distance, and supposed to cover the expenses of station service, as distinct from mileage rate, generally proportionate to the distance and intended to cover movement expenses.
- 5
A town lying at the end of a railroad, in which the terminal is located; more properly called a terminus.
- 6
A storage tank for bulk liquids (such as oil or chemicals) prior to further distribution.
- 7
The end of a line (wire, cable, etc) where signals or power are either transmitted or received, or a point along the length of a line where the signals or power are made available to apparatus; the hardware attached to the line in this spot, which allows connections to be fastened.
- 8
An electric contact on a battery.
adjective
- 1
Fatal; resulting in death.
terminal cancer
- 2
Appearing at the end; top or apex of a physical object.
- 3
Occurring at the end of a word, sentence, or period of time, and serves to terminate it
- 4
archaicOccurring every term; termly.
a student's terminal fees
verb
- 1
To store bulk liquids (such as oil or chemicals) in storage tanks prior to further distribution.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate terminal?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of terminal: trml..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Terminal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | terminal, aérogare , terminus |
| German | Terminal , Endbahnhof, Endstation |
| Portuguese | terminal |
| Spanish | terminal , borne, borna |
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 terminal come from?
Borrowed from Late Latin terminalis (“pertaining to a boundary or to the end, terminal, final”), from Latin terminus (“a bound, boundary, limit, end”). See term, terminus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).