valley
val·ley/ˈvæli/noun, verb
valley is spelled V-A-L-L-E-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (val·ley). It appears 52 times per million words in written English, the 1,941st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, valley means “An elongated depression cast between hills or mountains, often with a river flowing through it” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of valley is valleys; Wiktionary also lists vallies (obsolete).
How many letters and syllables are in valley?
| Letters | 6: V-A-L-L-E-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: val·ley |
| In writing | 52 times per million words; the 1,941st 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; 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 valley?
Valley appears 52 times per million words in written English, the 1,941st 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 valley?
- US /ˈvæli/
- British /ˈvalɪj/
- /ˈvale/
Valley has 2 syllables, split val·ley in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-valley.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-Valley.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with valley?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as valley from its last stressed vowel (/æli/):
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 valley
- valleys plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- valleying participle, present
- valleyed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does valley mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An elongated depression cast between hills or mountains, often with a river flowing through it.
The Indus River valley was the site of an ancient civilization.
- 2
An area which drains itself into a river.
- 3
Any structure resembling one, e.g. the interior angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes.
verb
- 1
rareTo form the shape of a valley.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Valley in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense elongated depression between hills or mountains:
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 valley come from?
From Middle English valeye, valey, from Anglo-Norman valey, Old French valee (compare French vallée), from Latin vallēs/vallis. Doublet of vlei and vly. Displaced native dene, from dene and partially displaced native dale, from dæl.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).