bell and belle are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. bell means “a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck”. belle means “a young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals”. bell is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɛl/
1.n.a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
2.n.a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed
3.n.the sound of a bell being struck
“saved by the bell”
/ˈbɛl/
| bell | belle | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɛl/ | /ˈbɛl/ |
| Said | bel | bel |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 11 | 1 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | none recorded |
Full entry for bell · Full entry for belle · More comparisons
1.n.a young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals
“she was the belle of the ball”