levee
/ˈlɛvi/noun, verb
levee is spelled L-E-V-E-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “levee vs levy” about 90 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, levee means “An elevated ridge of deposited sediment on the banks of a river, formed by the river's overflow at times of high discharge” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of levee is levees or levées.
How many letters and syllables are in levee?
| Letters | 5: L-E-V-E-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is levee?
Levee appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th 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 levee?
- UK /ˈlɛvi/
- UK /ˈlɛveɪ/
- US /ˈlɛvi/
Levee 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-levee.wav, En-us-levee.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with levee
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: levy (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with levee?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as levee from its last stressed vowel (/ɛvi/):
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 levee
- levees plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- levée
- leveeing participle, present
- leveed participle, past
- levées plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does levee mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An elevated ridge of deposited sediment on the banks of a river, formed by the river's overflow at times of high discharge.
- 2
An embankment to prevent inundation; as, the levees along the Mississippi.
- 3
USThe steep bank of a river.
- 4
USThe border of an irrigated field.
- 5
USA pier or other landing place on a river.
- 6
obsoleteThe act of rising; getting up, especially in the morning after rest.
- 7
A reception of visitors held after getting up.
- 8
A formal reception, especially one given by royalty or other leaders.
verb
- 1
USTo keep within a channel by means of levees.
to levee a river
- 2
To attend the levee or levees of.
noun
- 1
Uncommon spelling of levee.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Levee in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | digue |
| German | Deich, Damm , Uferböschung , eindeichen |
| Portuguese | encosta, dique |
| Spanish | malecón, dique |
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 levee come from?
From French levée, from lever (“to raise, rise”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).