bellows
/ˈbɛl.oʊz/noun, verb
bellows is spelled B-E-L-L-O-W-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bellows means “A device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location. At its most simple terms a bellows is a container which is…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bellows?
| Letters | 7: B-E-L-L-O-W-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th 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 bellows?
Bellows appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th 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 bellows?
- US /ˈbɛl.oʊz/
- UK /ˈbɛl.əʊz/
- /ˈbɛl.əs/
Bellows 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-bellows.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bellows
- bellowses present, singular, he/she/it
- bellowsing participle, present
- bellowsed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bellows mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location. At its most simple terms a bellows is a container which is deformable in such a way as to alter its volume which has an outlet or outlets where one wishes to blow air.
When wood fires were common, so were bellows for helping start them.
- 2
Any flexible container or enclosure, as one used to cover a moving joint.
- 3
archaicinformalThe lungs.
- 4
Flexible, light-tight enclosures connecting the lensboard and the camera back.
- 5
That which fans the fire of hatred, jealousy, etc.
- 6
plural of bellow
verb
- 1
To operate a bellows; to direct air at (something) using a bellows.
- 2
To expand and contract like a bellows.
- 3
To fold up like a bellows; to accordion.
- 4
third-person singular simple present indicative of bellow
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bellows in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 bellows come from?
From Middle English belwes, plural of belu, belwe, a northern form of beli, from Old English bæliġ, northern form of bielġ, from Proto-Germanic *balgiz. Compare German Balg. See also belly. For the pronunciation /ˈbɛl.əs/, compare bodice, gallows.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).