vampire
/ˈvæm.paɪ.ə(ɹ)/noun, verb
vampire is spelled V-A-M-P-I-R-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, vampire means “A mythological creature (usually humanoid and undead) said to feed on the blood or life energy of the living” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of vampire is vampires.
How many letters and syllables are in vampire?
| Letters | 7: V-A-M-P-I-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,784th 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 vampire?
Vampire appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th 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 vampire?
- US /ˈvæm.paɪ.ə(ɹ)/
- US [ˈvɛ̃ə̯̃m.paɪɚ]
Vampire 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: En-au-vampire.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of vampire
- vampires plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- vampyre
- wampyr
- vampiring participle, present
- vampired participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vampire mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A mythological creature (usually humanoid and undead) said to feed on the blood or life energy of the living.
Bram Stoker's novel Dracula built on centuries-old stories of vampires and also encouraged new growth of the mythology.
- 2
colloquialA person with habits traditionally ascribed to (literal) vampires, such as heliophobia, being a night owl, having pale skin, and so on.
Near-synonyms: heliophobe, goth
- 3
colloquialoffensiveA person with the medical condition porphyria cutanea tarda, colloquially known as vampirism, with effects such as photosensitivity and brownish-red stained teeth.
- 4
A blood-sucking bat; vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus)
- 5
derogatoryA person who drains one's time, energy, money, etc.
emotional vampire
- 6
datedA vamp: a seductive woman who exploits men.
- 7
USslangA medical technician who works with patients' blood; especially, a phlebotomist.
- 8
USslangSynonym of anti-ship missile (ASM), particularly an incoming hostile one.
Vampire. Vampire. Vampire. Battle stations.
verb
- 1
To drain of energy or resources.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vampire in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vampire , chauve-souris vampire |
| German | Blutsauger, Vampir, Vampyr, Vampirin , Vampirfledermaus |
| Portuguese | vampiro, vampira , morcego-vampiro |
| Spanish | vampiro |
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 vampire come from?
From French vampire, from German Vampir, via Hungarian from a Slavic word, probably Serbo-Croatian vàmpīr /ва̀мпӣр, from Proto-Slavic *ǫpyrь, further possibly from Proto-Turkic *ōpur (“glutton, witch, evil spirit”), or from native construction. Doublet of dhampir and oupire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).