battledore
bat·tle·dore/ˈbæ.tɫ̩.dɔɹ/noun
battledore is spelled B-A-T-T-L-E-D-O-R-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables (bat·tle·dore). It appears about once in every 65 million words in written English, the 252,559th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, battledore means “A game played with a shuttlecock and rackets (properly battledore and shuttlecock); a forerunner of badminton” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of battledore is battledores.
How many letters and syllables are in battledore?
| Letters | 10: B-A-T-T-L-E-D-O-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: bat·tle·dore |
| In writing | about once in every 65 million words; the 252,559th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is battledore?
Battledore appears about once in every 65 million words in written English, the 252,559th 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 battledore?
- UK /ˈbæ.təl.dɔː/
- UK /ˈbæ.tɫ̩.dɔː/
- US /ˈbæ.tɫ̩.dɔɹ/
Battledore has 3 syllables, split bat·tle·dore in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Pvanp7-battledore.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of battledore
- battledores plural
- battledoor
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does battledore mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A game played with a shuttlecock and rackets (properly battledore and shuttlecock); a forerunner of badminton.
- 2
The racket used in this game.
- 3
obsoleteA child's hornbook for learning the alphabet.
- 4
A wooden paddle-shaped bat or beetle used to wash clothes by beating, stirring, or smoothing them.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Battledore in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Federballschläger , Bleuel, Wäschebleuel, Waschbleuel |
| French | battoir |
| Spanish | pala de lavar, moza |
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 battledore come from?
From Middle English batildore, batylledore, batildure, batyldoure, batyndore, probably as a blend of Middle English betel (“bat, club”) and Old Occitan batedor (“beater, bat”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).