baton
/bəˈtɑn/noun, verb
baton is spelled B-A-T-O-N: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.4 times per million words in written English, the 12,216th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, baton means “A staff or truncheon, used for various purposes” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of baton is batons or bâtons.
How many letters and syllables are in baton?
| Letters | 5: B-A-T-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.4 times per million words; the 12,216th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is baton?
Baton appears 4.4 times per million words in written English, the 12,216th 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 baton?
- UK /ˈbætɒn/
- UK /ˈbæt(ə)n/
- US /bəˈtɑn/
Baton 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-baton.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with baton
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with baton?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as baton from its last stressed vowel (/ɑn/):
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 baton
- batons plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- bâton
- batoning participle, present
- batoned participle, past
- bâtons plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does baton mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A staff or truncheon, used for various purposes.
- 2
A ceremonial staff of a field marshal or a similar high-ranking military office.
- 3
The stick of a conductor in musical performances.
The conductor raised his baton and the orchestra fell silent.
- 4
An object transferred by runners in a relay race.
In the relay race, the runner dropped the baton.
- 5
A rod twirled in a marching band's performance, in a gymnastic sport, or in juggling.
- 6
USA short stout club used primarily by policemen.
The police officer carried a baton for self-defense.
- 7
A bend with the ends cut off, resembling a baton, typically borne sinister, and often used as a mark of cadency, initially for both legitimate and illegitimate children, but later chiefly for illegitimate children.
Alternative forms: batune, baston
- 8
A short vertical lightweight post, not set into the ground, used to separate wires in a fence.
verb
- 1
To strike with a baton.
She passed the baton to her successor after retiring.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of baton.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Baton in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Kommandostab, Zeremonienstab, Offizierstöckchen, Zepter, Marschallstab , Taktstock |
| Portuguese | bastão , batuta , testemunho , cassetete, porrete |
| Spanish | batuta, porra , testigo, testimonio |
| French | baguette , relai, relais, témoin , matraque , frapper avec un bâton |
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 baton come from?
From French bâton. Doublet of baston.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).