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PlainSpell

bottle

bot·tleUK /ˈbɒtəl/noun, verb

bottle is spelled B-O-T-T-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (bot·tle). It appears 37 times per million words in written English, the 2,618th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bottle means “A container, typically made of glass or plastic and having a tapered neck, used primarily for holding liquids” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bottle is bottles.

How many letters and syllables are in bottle?

Letters6: B-O-T-T-L-E
Syllables2: bot·tle
In writing37 times per million words; the 2,618th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 bottle?

Bottle appears 37 times per million words in written English, the 2,618th 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 bottle?

  • UK /ˈbɒtəl/
  • UK [ˈbɒtɫ̩]
  • British /ˈbɔtəl/

Bottle has 2 syllables, split bot·tle in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-a_bottle.ogg, En-uk-London-bottle.ogg, En-us-bottle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with bottle?

One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as bottle from its last stressed vowel (/ɒtəl/, British pronunciation):

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 bottle

  • bottles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • boddle
  • bottling participle, present
  • bottled participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does bottle mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A container, typically made of glass or plastic and having a tapered neck, used primarily for holding liquids.

    Beer is often sold in bottles.

  2. 2

    The contents of such a container.

    I only drank a bottle of beer.

  3. 3

    A container with a rubber nipple used for giving liquids to infants, a baby bottle.

    The baby wants a bottle.

  4. 4

    UKinformal(originally bottle and glass as rhyming slang for "arse") Nerve, courage.

    You don’t have the bottle to do that!

  5. 5

    A container of hair dye, hence with one’s hair color produced by dyeing.

    Did you know he’s a bottle brunette? His natural hair color is strawberry blonde.

  6. 6

    Intoxicating liquor; alcohol.

    to drown one’s troubles in the bottle

  7. 7

    UKobsoleteA dwelling; habitation.

  8. 8

    UKA building; house.

  9. 9

    obsoleteA bundle, especially of hay; something tied in a bundle.

verb

  1. 1

    To seal (a liquid) into a bottle for later consumption. Also fig.

    This plant bottles vast quantities of spring water every day.

  2. 2

    UKTo feed (an infant) baby formula.

    Because of complications she can't breast feed her baby and so she bottles him.

  3. 3

    UKslangTo refrain from doing (something) at the last moment because of a sudden loss of courage.

    The rider bottled the big jump.

  4. 4

    UKslangTo throw away a leading position.

    Arsenal bottled the Premier League.

  5. 5

    UKslangTo strike (someone) with a bottle.

    He was bottled at a nightclub and had to have facial surgery.

  6. 6

    UKslangTo pelt (a musical act on stage, etc.) with bottles as a sign of disapproval.

    Meat Loaf was once bottled at Reading Festival.

  7. 7

    Of pages printed several on a sheet: to rotate slightly when the sheet is folded two or more times.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate bottle?

Wiktionary records one abbreviation of bottle: btl.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Bottle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchbouteille (container), culot, cran, courage, couilles (nerve, courage), embouteiller (seal (a liquid) into a bottle for later…)
GermanFlasche, Bouteille, Butëlle, Guttere (container), in Flaschen abfüllen (seal (a liquid) into a bottle for later…), Buddel (contents of such a container)
Portuguesegarrafa, botelha (container), engarrafar, embotelhar (seal (a liquid) into a bottle for later…), dar mamadeira a (feed (an infant) baby formula), entregar (refrain from doing (something) at the last…)
Spanishbotella, frasco, bótil, bórol (container), embotellar, envasar (seal (a liquid) into a bottle for later…)

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 bottle come from?

From Middle English botel (“bottle, flask, wineskin”), from Old French boteille, from Late Latin butticula, diminutive of buttis (“cask”). Doublet of botija. Displaced native pinne and non-native Old English ampella. Partially displaced Old English flasce.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after bottle