termite
/ˈtɜː(ɹ).maɪt/noun, verb
termite is spelled T-E-R-M-I-T-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, termite means “A white-bodied, wood-consuming insect of the infraorder Isoptera, in the order Blattodea” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of termite is termites.
How many letters and syllables are in termite?
| Letters | 7: T-E-R-M-I-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 termite?
Termite appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd 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 termite?
- UK /ˈtɜː(ɹ).maɪt/
Termite has 2 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-termite.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with termite?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as termite from its last stressed vowel (/ɜmaɪt/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: emitter.
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 termite
- termites plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- termiting participle, present
- termited participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does termite mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A white-bodied, wood-consuming insect of the infraorder Isoptera, in the order Blattodea.
- 2
A contemptible person.
verb
- 1
Of a chimpanzee: to catch termites by inserting a stick or vine into their nest and waiting for them to climb up it.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Termite in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense insect:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | termite |
| German | Termite |
| Portuguese | térmite, térmita, cupim |
| Spanish | termes, comején, termita (polysemic), térmite, anay, sepe |
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 termite come from?
Inferred singular of termites, the plural form borrowed from Latin termites, the plural of Latin termes (“woodworm”), which was used for termites by Linnaeus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).