bavette

\ba.vɛt\

/\ba.vɛt\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“bavette” is an uncommon French word, ranked #55,769 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#55,769
frequency rank, French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Bavoir, petite pièce de tissu qu’on attache sous le menton des jeunes enfants pour recevoir la bave, la salive qui coule souvent de leur bouche.

Key facts for bavette
PropertyValue
Headwordbavette
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ba.vɛt\
Letters7
Frequency rank#55,769
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bavette” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bavette lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for bavette is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ba.vɛt\. Corpus data places it at rank #55,769 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for bavette in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is bavette, spelled B-A-V-E-T-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bavoir, petite pièce de tissu qu’on attache sous le menton des jeunes enfants pour recevoir la bave, la salive qui coule souvent de leur bouche.
  2. 2
    Partie de tablier, couvrant la poitrine.
  3. 3
    Pièce de cuir protégeant la poitrine. Partie de tablier ou de salopette couvrant la poitrine.
  4. 4
    Pièce de cuir reliée à la selle, protégeant le passage de sangle du cheval des éventuels coups de sabots de ses jambes antérieures lors des sauts d’obstacles.
  5. 5
    Bandes de métal assurant l’étanchéité d’une couverture, du devant d’une fenêtre etc.
  6. 6
    Protection à l’arrière des passages de roue d’une automobile pour éviter les projections de boue.
  7. 7
    Pièce de viande bovine provenant du flanc de l’animal.
  8. 8
    Repli de peau au niveau de la gorge que peut présenter une oie (une oie de Toulouse).
  9. 9
    Écume du bord de la mer.
  10. 10
    Masque chirurgical ou masque en tissu employé lors de l'épidémie de COVID-19.

Synonyms

bavoirsangle bavette

This word in other languages

bib(English)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bavette"?
"bavette" is spelled B-A-V-E-T-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ba.vɛt\.
What does "bavette" mean?
As a noun, "bavette" means: Bavoir, petite pièce de tissu qu’on attache sous le menton des jeunes enfants pour recevoir la bave, la salive qui coule souvent de leur bouche.
How do you pronounce "bavette"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bavette" is \ba.vɛt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bavette" come from?
"bavette" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “bavette”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is B-A-V-E-T-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ba.vɛt\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list