bottle

/ˈbɒt.l̩/

//ˈbɒt.l̩// noun

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

"bottle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bottle” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,613 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,613
frequency rank, English
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A container, typically made of glass or plastic and having a tapered neck, used primarily for holding liquids.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bottle vs Boyle
50% similar
bottle vs butte
67% similar
bottle vs bottom
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for bottle
PropertyValue
Headwordbottle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɒt.l̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,613
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bottle” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bottle is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɒt.l̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,613 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for bottle, with forms such as "bbottle", "botle", and "botlte". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "Boyle", "butte", "bottom", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Latin buttis Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ulus Latin -culus Late Latin butticula Old French boteillebor. Middle English botel English bottle From Middle English botel (“bottle, flask, wineskin”), from Old French boteil… The correct English form is bottle, spelled B-O-T-T-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A container, typically made of glass or plastic and having a tapered neck, used primarily for holding liquids.
  2. 2
    The contents of such a container.
  3. 3
    A container with a rubber nipple used for giving liquids to infants, a baby bottle.
  4. 4
    (originally bottle and glass as rhyming slang for "arse") Nerve, courage.
  5. 5
    A container of hair dye, hence with one’s hair color produced by dyeing.
  6. 6
    Intoxicating liquor; alcohol.

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin buttis Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ulus Latin -culus Late Latin butticula Old French boteillebor. Middle English botel English bottle 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. Broadly overtook Old English flasce.

Synonyms

baby's bottlefeeding bottlenursing bottleballscouragegutsnervepluck

Antonyms

cowardice

This word in other languages

botella(Español)bouteille(Français)Flasche(Deutsch)garrafa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbottle,botle,botlte,bottel,bottlle,btotle,obttle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bottle - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbottle1botle1botlte2bottel2bottlle1btotle2obttle2
Edit distance from "bottle"

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 "bottle"?
"bottle" is spelled B-O-T-T-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɒt.l̩/.
What does "bottle" mean?
As a noun, "bottle" means: A container, typically made of glass or plastic and having a tapered neck, used primarily for holding liquids.
What words are commonly confused with "bottle"?
"bottle" is commonly confused with "Boyle", "butte", "bottom". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bottle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bottle" is /ˈbɒt.l̩/. 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 "bottle"?
Etymology tree Latin buttis Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ulus Latin -culus Late Latin butticula Old French boteillebor. Middle English botel English bottle From Middle English botel (“bottle, flask, wineskin”), from Old Fre... 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.

Using “bottle”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-O-T-T-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɒt.l̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Boyle” - see the side-by-side comparison. bottle vs Boyle
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list