velvet
/ˈvɛlvɪt/noun, verb, adjective
velvet is spelled V-E-L-V-E-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.9 times per million words in written English, the 10,028th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, velvet means “A closely woven fabric (originally of silk, now also of cotton or man-made fibres) with a thick short pile on one side” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of velvet is velvets.
How many letters and syllables are in velvet?
| Letters | 6: V-E-L-V-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.9 times per million words; the 10,028th 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 velvet?
Velvet appears 5.9 times per million words in written English, the 10,028th 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 velvet?
- UK /ˈvɛlvɪt/
- US /ˈvɛlvɪt/
Velvet 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-velvet.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of velvet
- velvets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- velveting participle, present
- velveted participle, past
- more velvet comparative
- most velvet superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does velvet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A closely woven fabric (originally of silk, now also of cotton or man-made fibres) with a thick short pile on one side.
- 2
Very fine fur, including the skin and fur on a deer's antlers.
- 3
rareA female chinchilla; a sow.
- 4
slangThe drug dextromethorphan.
- 5
slangMoney acquired by gambling.
verb
- 1
To cover with velvet or with a covering of a similar texture.
- 2
To coat raw meat in starch, then in oil, preparatory to frying.
- 3
To remove the velvet from a deer's antlers.
- 4
To soften; to mitigate.
- 5
to retract.
adjective
- 1
Made of velvet.
- 2
Soft and delicate, like velvet; velvety.
- 3
Peaceful; carried out without violence; especially as pertaining to the peaceful breakup of Czechoslovakia.
“I was once invited to give a speech about the attempt to topple Iran's political system through a ‘velvet revolution,’ ” says Etaat in the debate, “but we all know that ‘velvet revolutions’ always occur in dictatorships.”
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Velvet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | velours , duvet, velours (on antlers) |
| German | Samt , (das Geweih) fegen, verfegen , mildern , die Krallen einziehen |
| Portuguese | veludo |
| Spanish | terciopelo, velludo, veludo, velludillo, veludillo |
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 velvet come from?
From Middle English velvet, velwet, veluet, from Old Occitan veluet, from Vulgar Latin *villutittus, diminutive of villūtus, from Latin villus (“shaggy hair, tuft of hair”). Cognate with French velours.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).