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gondola

/ˈɡɑndələ/noun, verb

gondola is spelled G-O-N-D-O-L-A: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gondola means “A small long, narrow boat with a high prow and stern, propelled with a single oar, especially in Venice” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gondola is gondolas or gondole.

How many letters and syllables are in gondola?

Letters7: G-O-N-D-O-L-A
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writingabout once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

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 gondola?

Gondola appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd 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 gondola?

  • UK /ˈɡɒn.də.lə/
  • US /ˈɡɑndələ/
  • US /ɡɑnˈdoʊlə/

Gondola has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-gondola.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of gondola

  • gondolas plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • gondole plural
  • gondolaing participle, present
  • gondolaed participle, past

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

What does gondola mean?

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

noun

  1. 1

    A small long, narrow boat with a high prow and stern, propelled with a single oar, especially in Venice.

  2. 2

    An enclosed car attached to a cable mechanically lifted up the side of a mountain; an enclosed ski lift; a cable car.

  3. 3

    The car or basket of a hot-air balloon, airship, zeppelin, etc.

  4. 4

    The hanging cart in which a glass-cleaning worker stands to clean exterior glass on tall buildings.

  5. 5

    That part of a transporter bridge that carries passengers, vehicles, along the length of the bridge span.

  6. 6

    USA type of open railway car with low sides, used to carry heavy freight such as crushed rock or steel.

  7. 7

    A free-standing display unit in a supermarket or other retail store, where goods are shelved or hung on pegs or hooks for sale; An end bay; A parasite display.

verb

  1. 1

    To travel by gondola.

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

Gondola in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchgondole (narrow boat, especially in Venice), téléphérique, télécabine (enclosed car suspended to a cable onto which it…), nacelle (car or basket of an airship), transbordeur (part of a transporter bridge that carries)
GermanGondel (narrow boat, especially in Venice), Seilbahn (enclosed car suspended to a cable onto which it…)
Portuguesegôndola (narrow boat, especially in Venice)
Spanishgóndola (narrow boat, especially in Venice), teleférico (enclosed car suspended to a cable onto which it…), barquilla (car or basket of an airship)

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 gondola come from?

Borrowed from Italian gondola, from Venetan góndoƚa. Possibly from Byzantine Greek κοντοῦρα (kontoûra, “cutter, kind of ship”).

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

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