melee
/ˈmeɪˌleɪ/noun, verb, adjective
melee is spelled M-E-L-E-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, melee means “A battle fought at close range, (especially) one not involving ranged weapons; hand-to-hand combat; brawling” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of melee is melees or mêlées.
How many letters and syllables are in melee?
| Letters | 5: M-E-L-E-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,798th 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 melee?
Melee appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,798th 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 melee?
- UK /ˈmɛˌleɪ/
- UK /ˈmɛ.li/
- US /ˈmeɪˌleɪ/
Melee 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-melee.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with melee?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as melee from its last stressed vowel (/eɪleɪ/):
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 melee
- melees plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- mêlée
- melée rare
- meleeing participle, present
- meleed participle, past
- mêlées plural
- melées plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does melee mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A battle fought at close range, (especially) one not involving ranged weapons; hand-to-hand combat; brawling.
- 2
A loud, confused or tumultuous fight, argument or scrap.
- 3
Any confused, disorganised, disordered or chaotic situation.
- 4
Lively contention or debate, skirmish.
- 5
A cavalry exercise in which two groups of riders try to cut paper plumes off the helmets of their opponents, the contest continuing until no member of one group retains his plume.
- 6
Small cut and polished gemstones sold in lots.
verb
- 1
slangTo physically hit in close quarters, as opposed to shooting, blowing up, or other ranged means of damage. Often refers to the usage of a hand-to-hand weapon.
adjective
- 1
Of a weapon: used in close-range combat, e.g. a sword. Compare with ranged.
- 2
Of a character, using melee weapons.
noun
- 1
Alternative spelling of melee.
noun
- 1
rareRare spelling of melee.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Melee in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Handgemenge, Nahkampf, Händel, Schlägerei, Rauferei, Prügelei |
| Portuguese | combate corpo-a-corpo |
| Spanish | mêlée, melée, melé |
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 melee come from?
Borrowed from French mêlée, from Old French meslee, feminine past participle of mesler (“to mix”), derived from Latin misceō (“mix”). Doublet of medley.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).