eyelet

/ˈaɪ.lət/

//ˈaɪ.lət// noun

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

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

The verdict

“eyelet” is uncommon English (frequency #77,661 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,661
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - 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.

Corpus desk

Index EN-eyelet · eyelet · English

eyelet · rank #77,661 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,661
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH excommunicate

Nearest frequency peer: excommunicate (-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 “eyelet”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for eyelet
PropertyValue
Headwordeyelet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaɪ.lət/
Letters6
Frequency rank#77,661
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “eyelet” 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).eyeletfalls 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: “excommunicate” (#77,660), “Fabienne” (#77,663), “fakery” (#77,664). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “eyelet” is #77,661. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

eyelet is uncommon English at frequency #77,661 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈaɪ.lət/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for eyelet in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English oylet, from Old French oillet, equivalent to Old French oil (“eye”) + -et (diminutive suffix). Spelling as eye + -let is due to folk etymology. The correct English form is eyelet, spelled E-Y-E-L-E-T.

Definition

  1. 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.
  2. 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. 3
    Cotton fabric with small holes.
  4. 4
    The contact tip of the base of a light bulb.
  5. 5
    A peephole.
  6. 6
    A little eye.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Push the aglet of the shoelace through each of the eyelets, one at a time.

Etymology

From Middle English oylet, from Old French oillet, equivalent to Old French oil (“eye”) + -et (diminutive suffix). Spelling as eye + -let is due to folk etymology.

This word in other languages

ojete(Español)œillet(Français)Öse(Deutsch)ilhó(Português)

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 "eyelet"?
"eyelet" is spelled E-Y-E-L-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaɪ.lət/.
What does "eyelet" mean?
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 hole.
How do you pronounce "eyelet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eyelet" is /ˈaɪ.lət/. 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 "eyelet"?
From Middle English oylet, from Old French oillet, equivalent to Old French oil (“eye”) + -et (diminutive suffix). Spelling as eye + -let is due to folk etymology. 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 "eyelet", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fakery#77,664espada#77,655fescue#77,674Fisker#77,679

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list