eyelet
/ˈaɪ.lət/noun, verb
eyelet is spelled E-Y-E-L-E-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, eyelet means “An object that consists of a rim and small hole or perforation to receive a cord or fastener, as in garments, sails, etc. An eyelet may reinforce a…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of eyelet is eyelets.
How many letters and syllables are in eyelet?
| Letters | 6: E-Y-E-L-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 77,666th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
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 eyelet?
Eyelet appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th 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 eyelet?
- /ˈaɪ.lət/
Eyelet 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-eyelet.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with eyelet
Sounds like: islet (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of eyelet
- eyelets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- eyeletting participle, present
- eyeleting participle, present
- eyeletted participle, past
- eyeleted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does eyelet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An object that consists of a rim and small hole or perforation to receive a cord or fastener, as in garments, sails, etc. An eyelet may reinforce a hole.
Push the aglet of the shoelace through each of the eyelets, one at a time.
- 2
A shaped metal embellishment containing a hole, used in scrapbook. Eyelets are typically set by punching a hole in the page, placing the smooth side of the eyelet on a table, positioning the paper over protruding edge and curling the edge down using a hammer and eyelet setter.
- 3
Cotton fabric with small holes.
- 4
The contact tip of the base of a light bulb.
- 5
A peephole.
- 6
A little eye.
verb
- 1
To make eyelets in.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Eyelet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | œillet |
| German | Öse, Schnüröse , Äuglein |
| Portuguese | ilhó, casa |
| Spanish | ojete, ojal, ojetillo |
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 eyelet come from?
From Middle English oylet, from Old French oillet, equivalent to Old French oil (“eye”) + -et (diminutive suffix). Spelling and pronunciation were later on influenced by eye (which is distantly related to oil via Proto-Indo-European) as though suffixed with -let (a double diminutive also from -et).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).