bocce

/ˈbɑt͡ʃi/

//ˈbɑt͡ʃi// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"bocce" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bocce” is uncommon English (frequency #69,692 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,692
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A game, similar to bowls or pétanque, played on a long, narrow, dirt-covered court, or informally, as a lawn game.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bocce · bocce · English

bocce · rank #69,692 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #69,692
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bluntness

Nearest frequency peer: bluntness (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “bocce”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “bocce” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bocce
PropertyValue
Headwordbocce
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɑt͡ʃi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#69,692
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bocce” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).boccefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “bluntness” (#69,691), “blowhard” (#69,690), “borscht” (#69,694). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bocce” is #69,692. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bocce is uncommon English at frequency #69,692 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɑt͡ʃi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for bocce in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian bocce. The correct English form is bocce, spelled B-O-C-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A game, similar to bowls or pétanque, played on a long, narrow, dirt-covered court, or informally, as a lawn game.
  2. 2
    One of the eight balls that the player throws in a game of bocce.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how bocce appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The object is throw or roll the bocces as close as possible to the pallino.
  2. The side with their bocces closest to the pallino earns points.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian bocce.

This word in other languages

bochas(Español)bocce(Français)Boccia(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bocce"?
"bocce" is spelled B-O-C-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɑt͡ʃi/.
What does "bocce" mean?
As a noun, "bocce" means: A game, similar to bowls or pétanque, played on a long, narrow, dirt-covered court, or informally, as a lawn game.
How do you pronounce "bocce"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bocce" is /ˈbɑt͡ʃi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "bocce"?
Borrowed from Italian bocce. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bocce", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bourg#69,695bunce#69,706baler#69,668Bajwa#69,665

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list