barrette
/bəˈɹɛt/noun, verb
barrette is spelled B-A-R-R-E-T-T-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 85,266th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, barrette means “A clasp or clip for gathering and holding the hair” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of barrette is barrettes.
How many letters and syllables are in barrette?
| Letters | 8: B-A-R-R-E-T-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 85,266th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 barrette?
Barrette appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 85,266th 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 barrette?
- /bəˈɹɛt/
Barrette 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-barrette.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with barrette?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as barrette.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: batterer.
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 barrette
- barrettes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- barette
- barretting participle, present
- barretted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does barrette mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A clasp or clip for gathering and holding the hair.
- 2
A bar used to mount medals of chivalric orders.
- 3
Synonym of katepimeron.
verb
- 1
To put (hair) into a barrette.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Barrette in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense clasp or clip for gathering and holding the hair – see also hair clip:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Haarspange, Haarklammer |
| Portuguese | prendedor de cabelo, presilha |
| Spanish | prendedor de pelo, prendedor, pinche |
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 barrette come from?
Borrowed from French barrette, from barre (“a bar”) + -ette, literally a small bar.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).