terror
ter·ror/ˈtɛɹɚ/noun, adjective
terror is spelled T-E-R-R-O-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (ter·ror). It appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, terror means “Intense dread, fright, or fear” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of terror is terrors.
How many letters and syllables are in terror?
| Letters | 6: T-E-R-R-O-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ter·ror |
| In writing | 18 times per million words; the 4,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| 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 terror?
Terror appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,589th 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 terror?
- US /ˈtɛɹɚ/
- /tɛɚ/
- UK /ˈtɛɹə/
Terror has 2 syllables, split ter·ror in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-terror.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with terror
Sounds like: tearer (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with terror?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as terror from its last stressed vowel (/ɛɹəɹ/):
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 terror
- terrors plural
- more terror comparative
- most terror superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does terror mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Intense dread, fright, or fear.
- 2
The action or quality of causing dread; terribleness, especially such qualities in narrative fiction.
- 3
Something or someone that causes such fear.
- 4
Terrorism.
a terror attack
- 5
A night terror.
adjective
- 1
slangA strict teacher who fails most of the students.
I have a terror math teacher.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Terror in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | terreur, effroi , terrorisme |
| German | Schrecken, Grauen, schreckliche Furcht , Terror |
| Portuguese | terror |
| Spanish | terror |
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.