Bell or belle?
bell is a noun meaning “A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not…”; belle is a noun meaning “An attractive woman”. They sound the same (/bɛl/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) bell is about 6.3 times as common as belle.
What is the difference between bell and belle?
| bell | belle | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Meaning | A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when… An instrument that emits a ringing sound, situated on a bicycle's handlebar and used by the cyclist to warn of their presence To attach a bell to | An attractive woman |
| Example | I’ll give you a bell later | In her new dress she felt like the belle of the ball |
| Forms | bells | belles |
| Pronunciation | /bɛl/ /bel/ | /bɛl/ |
| In writing | 39 times per million words | 6.2 times per million words |
Sources: bell and belle in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of bell and belle
bell
- 1
A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck
- 2
To attach a bell to
Who will bell the cat?
- 3
To bellow or roar
- 4
The bellow or bay of certain animals, such as a hound on the hunt or a stag in rut
- 5
CanadaUSa telephone utility; a Baby Bell
- 6
An instrument that emits a ringing sound, situated on a bicycle's handlebar and used by the cyclist to warn of their presence
- 7
To shape so that it flares out like a bell
to bell a tube
- 8
To utter in a loud manner; to thunder forth
belle
- 1
An attractive woman
In her new dress she felt like the belle of the ball
- 2
datedA fellow gay man
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, bell or belle?
bell appears 39 times per million words; belle 6.2 times per million words.
bell 39 times per million wordsbelle 6.2 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).