unicorn
/ˈju.nɪ.kɔɹn/noun, verb, adjective
unicorn is spelled U-N-I-C-O-R-N: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, unicorn means “A mythical, horselike creature with a horn on its forehead, supposed to be extremely rare and to be drawn to virgins and other chaste maidens” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of unicorn is unicorns.
How many letters and syllables are in unicorn?
| Letters | 7: U-N-I-C-O-R-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 14,106th 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 unicorn?
Unicorn appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th 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 unicorn?
- UK /ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn/
- US /ˈju.nɪ.kɔɹn/
Unicorn 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: En-au-unicorn.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of unicorn
- unicorns plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- unicorning participle, present
- unicorned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unicorn mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A mythical, horselike creature with a horn on its forehead, supposed to be extremely rare and to be drawn to virgins and other chaste maidens.
- 2
In various Bible translations, used to render the Latin unicornis or rhinoceros (representing Hebrew רְאֵם): a reem or wild ox.
- 3
Any large beetle having a horn-like prominence on the head or prothorax, especially the Hercules beetle, Dynastes tityus.
- 4
A caterpillar, Schizura unicornis, with a large thorn-like spine on the back near its head.
- 5
The kamichi, or unicorn bird.
- 6
A Siberian unicorn, †Elasmotherium sibiricum.
- 7
An Asian unicorn, or saola, Pseudoryx nghetinhensis.
- 8
A howitzer.
verb
- 1
slangTo participate in a sexual threesome as a bisexual addition to an established heterosexual couple.
- 2
To exceed a valuation of one billion U.S. dollars, while solely backed by venture capitalists.
adjective
- 1
Having one horn.
- 2
Rare and hard to find.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unicorn in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense mythical horselike creature:
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 unicorn come from?
From Middle English unicorne, unikorn, from Anglo-Norman unicorne, Old French unicorne, and their source, Latin ūnicornis, (from ūnus (“one”) + cornū (“horn”)), a calque of Ancient Greek μονόκερως (monókerōs, “having one horn”, (from μόνος (mónos, “one”) + κέρας (kéras, “horn”))). Displaced native Old English ānhorn, itself a calque of the Latin term. First attested in the early 13th c.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).