maelstrom

Questions about maelstrom

What does maelstrom mean?

maelstrom means "a powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides)".

How many syllables are in maelstrom?

maelstrom has 2 syllables: mael-strom. The stress falls on "mael". In IPA it is /ˈmeɪlstɹəm/.

What is another word for maelstrom?

Close synonyms include whirlpool, vortex. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is maelstrom a common word?

maelstrom is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.