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“Bel” or “Bell” or “Belle”

bel / bell / belle are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

bel b·EH·l

  • nouna logarithmic unit of sound intensity equal to 10 decibels.
  • nounBabylonian god of the earth; one of the supreme triad including Anu and Ea; earlier identified with En-lil.

bell b·EH·l

  • nouna hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck.
  • nounthe sound of a bell being struck.
  • noun(nautical) each of the eight half-hour units of nautical time signaled by strokes of a ship's bell; eight bells signals 4:00, 8:00, or 12:00 o'clock, either a.m. or p.m..
  • nounthe shape of a bell.
  • nouna phonetician and father of Alexander Graham Bell (1819-1905).
  • nounEnglish painter; sister of Virginia Woolf; prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group (1879-1961).
  • nounUnited States inventor (born in Scotland) of the telephone (1847-1922).
  • nounthe flared opening of a tubular device.
  • verbattach a bell to.

belle b·EH·l

  • nouna young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals.
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“bel”

  • 2nd album: Shou Btaamel Bel Nass (11 songs)
  • …full release features remixes by Bel Air, Billy Da Kid, KREAM…
  • Le bel ambitieux, chamber opera
  • …consists of a high cellar, bel étage and a hipped Mansard…
  • …the Best Album "Chou Btaemel Bel Nass".
  • Bel Moulay - a Zenshiite religious…
  • Osborne, Charles (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti,…
  • Bel Canto Hall
  • …94.1 MHz, owned by Grupo Bel
  • Osborne, Charles (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti,…

“bell”

  • …be a joke until the bell rings and Adama knocks him…
  • …on EastLink TV channel 6, Bell Aliant TV channel 4, and…
  • …by W. B. Elwood at Bell Telephone Laboratories.1936 Phillips-head screwThe Phillips-head…
  • …it took 14 years before Bell Labs was able to put…
  • Nicholas Bell as Murdoch Foyle, a former…
  • The third bell is inscribed "John Parker &…
  • During the 18th century the bell tower was added to the…
  • Horton at Bell Telephone Laboratories.1928 Recliner A recliner…
  • …for the moment by the bell.
  • …was invented in 1916 at Bell Laboratories by Edward Christopher 'E.C.'

“belle”

  • His Belle Dame sans mercy was translated…
  • …Caulier, Le Cycle de la Belle Dame sans Mercy : une…
  • Carrier Clinic, Belle Mead
  • …Impressionists, artistic circles of the Belle époque (around such artists as…
  • Belle.
  • ), La Belle Dame sans Mercy (1424), and
  • Belle Star = Belle Starr –…
  • La Belle Dame sans mercy (1424)
  • Category:Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna faculty
  • Belle Ville, a settlement of African…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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