basketball
/ˈbæs.kɪt.bɔl/noun, verb
basketball is spelled B-A-S-K-E-T-B-A-L-L: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 36 times per million words in written English, the 2,669th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, basketball means “A sport in which two opposing teams of five players strive to put a ball through a hoop” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of basketball is basketballs.
How many letters and syllables are in basketball?
| Letters | 10: B-A-S-K-E-T-B-A-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 36 times per million words; the 2,669th 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 basketball?
Basketball appears 36 times per million words in written English, the 2,669th 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 basketball?
- UK /ˈbɑːs.kɪt.bɔːl/
- US /ˈbæs.kɪt.bɔl/
- /ˈbæs.kɪt.bɑl/
Basketball has 3 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-basketball.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of basketball
- basketballs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- basketballing participle, present
- basketballed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does basketball mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sport in which two opposing teams of five players strive to put a ball through a hoop.
to play basketball
- 2
The particular kind of ball used in the sport of basketball.
verb
- 1
informalTo play basketball.
- 2
informalTo throw in a similar way to when shooting a basketball.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate basketball?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of basketball: BB.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Basketball in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | basket-ball, basketball, ballon-panier |
| German | Basketball |
| Portuguese | basquete, basquetebol, bola ao cesto , bola de basquete/basquetebol |
| Spanish | baloncesto, básquetbol, básquet |
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 basketball come from?
From basket + ball.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).