vertebrate
/ˈvɛɹ.tɪ.bɹeɪt/adjective, noun
vertebrate is spelled V-E-R-T-E-B-R-A-T-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, vertebrate means “Having a backbone” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in vertebrate?
| Letters | 10: V-E-R-T-E-B-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th 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 vertebrate?
Vertebrate appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th 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 vertebrate?
- /ˈvɛɹ.tɪ.bɹeɪt/
Vertebrate 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)-Vealhurl-vertebrate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of vertebrate
- vertebrates plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vertebrate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a backbone.
- 2
Of, being, or pertaining to Vertebrata, animals with backbones.
noun
- 1
An animal having a backbone: one belonging to the subphylum Vertebrata.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vertebrate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vertébré |
| Portuguese | vertebrado |
| Spanish | vertebrado |
| German | Wirbeltier, Vertebrat |
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 vertebrate come from?
Adapted borrowing of French vertébré, from Latin vertebrātus (“jointed”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).