ballet
bal·let/ˈbæleɪ/noun, verb
ballet is spelled B-A-L-L-E-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables (bal·let). It appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ballet means “A classical form of dance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ballet is ballets.
How many letters and syllables are in ballet?
| Letters | 6: B-A-L-L-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: bal·let |
| In writing | 8.9 times per million words; the 7,672nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is ballet?
Ballet appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd 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 ballet?
- UK /ˈbæleɪ/
- UK /ˈbæ.lɪ/
- UK /ˈbæ.lɪt/
Ballet has 2 syllables, split bal·let in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ballet.flac, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ballet
- ballets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- balleting participle, present
- balleted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ballet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A classical form of dance.
a classically-trained ballet dancer
- 2
A theatrical presentation of such dancing, usually with music, sometimes in the form of a story.
Let's go to the ballet in the theatre tomorrow!
- 3
The company of persons who perform this dance.
Zara joined the ballet at the age of 14.
- 4
A light part song, frequently with a fa-la-la chorus, common among Elizabethan and Italian Renaissance composers.
- 5
A (small) ball i.e. roundel on a coat of arms, called a bezant, plate, etc., according to colour.
- 6
Any intricate series of operations involving coordination between individuals.
verb
- 1
To perform an action reminiscent of ballet dancing.
Situations that typically require longer iliac limbs than the measurements suggest include extreme iliac tortuosity, “balleting” of the limbs (Endurant and Excluder) (Fig. 90-3), and the need to extend to the external iliac arteries. It the
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ballet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense form of dance:
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 ballet come from?
Borrowed from French ballet, from Italian balletto (“short dance, ballet”), diminutive form of ballo (“group dance”) (cognate with Old French bal, whence English ball), from Late Latin ballō (“to dance”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).