batter
bat·ter/ˈbætɚ/verb, noun
batter is spelled B-A-T-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (bat·ter). It appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, batter means “To hit or strike violently and repeatedly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in batter?
| Letters | 6: B-A-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: bat·ter |
| In writing | 3.6 times per million words; the 13,695th 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 batter?
Batter appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th 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 batter?
- UK /ˈbætə/
- US /ˈbætɚ/
- US [ˈbæɾɚ]
Batter has 2 syllables, split bat·ter in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-batter.ogg, En-us-batter.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with batter?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as batter from its last stressed vowel (/ætəɹ/):
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 batter
- batters present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- battering participle, present
- battered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does batter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To hit or strike violently and repeatedly.
The firemen battered down the door.
- 2
To coat with batter (the food ingredient).
I prefer it when they batter the cod with breadcrumbs.
- 3
To defeat soundly; to thrash.
Leeds United battered Charlton 7-0.
- 4
UKslangTo intoxicate.
That cocktail will batter you!
- 5
To flatten (metal) by hammering, so as to compress it inwardly and spread it outwardly.
- 6
UKobsoleteTo coat in a paste-like substance; to fasten with a paste-like glue.
- 7
To slope (of walls, buildings etc.).
noun
- 1
A beaten mixture of flour and liquid (usually egg and milk), used for baking (e.g. pancakes, cake, or Yorkshire pudding) or to coat food (e.g. fish) prior to frying.
To the dismay of his mother, the boy put his finger into the pancake batter.
- 2
slangA binge; a heavy drinking session.
When he went on a batter, he became very violent.
- 3
A paste of clay or loam.
- 4
A bruise on the face of a plate or of type in the form.
- 5
An incline on the outer face of a built wall.
- 6
The player attempting to hit the ball with a bat.
The first batter hit the ball into the corner for a double.
- 7
A player of the batting side now on the field.
- 8
The player now receiving strike; the striker.
- 9
Any player selected for his or her team principally to bat, as opposed to a bowler.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Batter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | rammen, prügeln, schlagen, auf etwas einprügeln, zerschmettern, zusammenschlagen |
| Portuguese | bater, espancar , empanar , polme, massa , batedor |
| Spanish | apalear , apanar, rebozar, empanar , batido, rebozado |
| French | pâte , batteur, frappeur |
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 batter come from?
From Middle English batteren, batren, bateren, a frequentative of Middle English batten, baten (“to beat”), equivalent to bat + -er (frequentative suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).