rivet
/ˈɹɪvət/noun, verb
rivet is spelled R-I-V-E-T: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rivet means “A cylindrical mechanical fastener which is supplied with a factory head at one end and is used to attach multiple parts together by passing its…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rivet is rivets.
How many letters and syllables are in rivet?
| Letters | 5: R-I-V-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 rivet?
Rivet appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th 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 rivet?
- /ˈɹɪvət/
Rivet 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-rivet.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of rivet
- rivets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- riveting participle, present
- rivetting UK, participle, present
- riveted participle, past
- rivetted UK, participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rivet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A cylindrical mechanical fastener which is supplied with a factory head at one end and is used to attach multiple parts together by passing its bucktail through a hole and upsetting its end to form a field head.
- 2
Any fixed point or certain basis.
- 3
obsoleteA light kind of footman's plate armour; an almain rivet.
verb
- 1
To attach or fasten parts by using rivets.
- 2
To install rivets (see Usage notes).
- 3
To command the attention of.
- 4
To make firm or immovable.
Terror riveted him to the spot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rivet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rivet , riveter |
| German | Niet , vernieten , nieten , fesseln, auf sich ziehen |
| Portuguese | rebite |
| Spanish | remache, roblón, rebite , remachar, rebitar, roblonar |
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 rivet come from?
From Old French rivet (13th century), from the verb Old French river (“to fetter [a person]”) (12th century), from Old French rive (“rim, edge”) (ca. 1100), which is ultimately from Latin ripa (“riverbank”). Compare river, rival, riparian. The sense "kind of footman's armour" is apparently a back-formation from almain rivet, which is apparently derived from the English noun; see that entry for more.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).