via
/ˈvaɪə/noun, preposition
via is spelled V-I-A: 3 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 105 times per million words in written English, the 1,021st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, via means “A main road or highway, especially in ancient Rome. (Mainly used in set phrases, below.)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of via is vias or viae.
How many letters and syllables are in via?
| Letters | 3: V-I-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 105 times per million words; the 1,021st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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 via?
Via appears 105 times per million words in written English, the 1,021st 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 via?
- /ˈvaɪə/
- /ˈviː.ə/
Via 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)-I_learned_some_phrases-via.wav, En-us-via.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with via?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as via.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: avi, vai.
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 via
- vias plural
- viae plural
- viâ
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does via mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A main road or highway, especially in ancient Rome. (Mainly used in set phrases, below.)
- 2
A small hole in a printed circuit board filled with metal which connects two or more layers.
- 3
An electrical connection which connects two or more layers on a printed circuit board or an integrated circuit.
preposition
- 1
By way of; passing through.
They drove from New York to Los Angeles via Omaha.
- 2
By (means of); using.
I'll send you the information via e-mail.
preposition
- 1
UKdatedDated form of via.
Stahel's calvary division moved from Warrington, viâ Gainesville, to Fairfax Court-house.
interjection
- 1
obsoleteAway! Be off!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Via in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | via |
| German | über, durch, via , per, mittels, vermittels |
| Portuguese | via |
| Spanish | vía, por , a través de, por medio de, mediante |
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 via come from?
Borrowed from Latin via (“road”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-. Possible doublet of way. The sense in electronics is also explained as vertical interconnect access.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).