meter and metre are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. meter means “the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)”. metre means “the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)”. meter is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈmitɚ/
1.n.the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
2.n.any of various measuring instruments for measuring a quantity
3.n.(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
| meter | metre | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈmitɚ/ | /ˈmitɚ/ |
| Said | MEE-tur | MEE-tur |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 5 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 6 | 3 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | metre, m | meter, m |
Full entry for meter · Full entry for metre · More comparisons
1.n.the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
2.n.(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
3.n.rhythm as given by division into parts of equal duration