balaclava
/ˌbæl.əˈklɑː.və/noun
balaclava is spelled B-A-L-A-C-L-A-V-A: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, balaclava means “A type of warm headgear covering the neck, head, and often part of the face, with apertures left as necessary, often made out of wool” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of balaclava is balaclavas.
How many letters and syllables are in balaclava?
| Letters | 9: B-A-L-A-C-L-A-V-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,337th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 balaclava?
Balaclava appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th 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 balaclava?
- US /ˌbæl.əˈklɑː.və/
- US /ˌbɑː.ləˈklɑː.və/
Balaclava has 4 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: En-us-balaclava.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with balaclava?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as balaclava from its last stressed vowel (/ɑvə/):
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 balaclava
- balaclavas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does balaclava mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A type of warm headgear covering the neck, head, and often part of the face, with apertures left as necessary, often made out of wool.
- 2
CanadaUKA ski mask with holes for the eyes and, sometimes, the nose and mouth, which may be rolled up and worn like a toque or pulled over the face for greater protection.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Balaclava in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense headgear:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | passe-montagne, cagoule |
| German | Sturmhaube, Sturmmaske, Skimaske, Biwakmütze, Balaklava |
| Portuguese | balaclava |
| Spanish | pasamontañas, papahígo |
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 balaclava come from?
From the city of Balaklava in Crimea, from Ottoman Turkish بالقلاوه (modern Turkish balıklava), alteration of بالقلاغه (balıklaga, “fishing ground”). During the Crimean War the British troops suffered from cold due to improper clothing. When the news spread in the home front after the Battle of Balaclava in 1854, the people began knitting warm clothing for the soldiers, including woollen caps to be worn under the helmet, which were named balaclavas by the troops.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).