ballad
/ˈbæləd/noun, verb
ballad is spelled B-A-L-L-A-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,687th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ballad means “A kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; especially, a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ballad is ballads.
How many letters and syllables are in ballad?
| Letters | 6: B-A-L-L-A-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.6 times per million words; the 16,687th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is ballad?
Ballad appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,687th 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 ballad?
- /ˈbæləd/
- /ˈbælɪt/
Ballad 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: En-us-ballad.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ballad
- ballads plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ballading participle, present
- balladed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ballad mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; especially, a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas.
The poet composed a ballad praising the heroic exploits of the fallen commander.
- 2
A slow romantic song.
On Friday nights, the roller rink had a time-block called "Lovers' Lap" when they played nothing but ballads on the overhead speakers.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo make mention of in ballads.
- 2
To compose or sing ballads.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ballad in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense narrative poem:
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 ballad come from?
From French ballade, from Old Occitan ballada (“poem for a dance”), from Late Latin ballare. Doublet of balada and ballade.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).