bastille
bast·ille/bæˈstiːl/noun, verb
bastille is spelled B-A-S-T-I-L-L-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables (bast·ille). It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bastille means “Chiefly in French contexts: a bastion (“projecting part of a rampart or other fortification”) or tower of a castle; also, a fortified tower or other…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bastille is bastilles.
How many letters and syllables are in bastille?
| Letters | 8: B-A-S-T-I-L-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: bast·ille |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd 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; 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 bastille?
Bastille appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd 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 bastille?
- UK /bæˈstiːl/
- UK /bɑː-/
- UK /ˈbæstɪl/
Bastille has 2 syllables, split bast·ille in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-Bastille.wav, En-au-bastille.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with bastille?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as bastille from its last stressed vowel (/il/, British pronunciation):
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 bastille
- bastilles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- bastile
- bastilling participle, present
- bastilled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bastille mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Chiefly in French contexts: a bastion (“projecting part of a rampart or other fortification”) or tower of a castle; also, a fortified tower or other building; or a small citadel or fortress.
- 2
A jail or prison, especially one regarded as mistreating its prisoners.
- 3
UKderogatorySynonym of workhouse (“an institution for homeless poor people funded by the local parish, where the able-bodied were required to work”).
- 4
The fortified encampment of an army besieging a place; also, any of the buildings in such an encampment.
verb
- 1
To confine (someone or something) in, or as if in, a bastille (noun sense 2.1) or prison; to imprison.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bastille in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bastion , bastille , embastiller |
| German | Festung , Kerker , einkerkern, gefangen halten |
| Portuguese | bastilha , aprisionar, encarcerar |
| Spanish | fortaleza |
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.