fillet
/fɪˈleɪ/noun, verb
fillet is spelled F-I-L-L-E-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fillet means “A thin strip of any material, in various technical uses” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fillet is fillets.
How many letters and syllables are in fillet?
| Letters | 6: F-I-L-L-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is fillet?
Fillet appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th 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 fillet?
- /ˈfɪl.ɪt/
- US /fɪˈleɪ/
Fillet 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-fillet.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fillet?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fillet from its last stressed vowel (/eɪ/):
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 fillet
- fillets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- filet US
- filleting participle, present
- filleted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fillet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
archaicA headband; a ribbon or other band used to tie the hair up, or keep a headdress in place, or for decoration.
- 2
A thin strip of any material, in various technical uses.
- 3
A heavy bead of waterproofing compound or sealant material generally installed at the point where vertical and horizontal surfaces meet.
- 4
A rounded relief or cut at an edge, especially an inside edge, added for a finished appearance and to break sharp edges.
- 5
A strip or compact piece of meat or fish from which any bones and skin and feathers have been removed.
- 6
UKA premium cut of meat, especially beef, taken from below the lower back of the animal, considered to be lean and tender; also called tenderloin.
fillet steak
- 7
A thin featureless moulding/molding used as separation between broader decorative mouldings.
- 8
The space between two flutings in a shaft.
verb
- 1
To slice, bone or make into fillets.
- 2
To apply, create, or specify a rounded or filled corner to.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fillet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Haarband, Haargummi, Stirnband , Streifen, Band, Leiste |
| French | congé , filet , désosser, lever les filets |
| Portuguese | filé |
| Spanish | filete |
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 fillet come from?
From Middle English filet, vylette, felet, filette, flette, from Old French filet, diminutive of fil (“thread”), from Latin fīlum (“thread”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).