Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bordello

/bɔː(ɹ)ˈdɛləʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.24 in modern English

Syllables: bor-del-lo
IPA: /bɔː(ɹ)ˈdɛləʊ/

11

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Example Sentences

"“You know, this house does have a belfry filled with local bats. Maybe Laszlo went up there.” “Oh, so like my darling perverted husband, to sniff out the local bordello immediately upon arrival. [chuckles] Could you take me to the belfry?”"

Etymology

From Italian bordello. Distantly related to brothel, through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carve, cut, split, rub”). Doublet of bordel. By surface analysis, Latin borda + Italian -ello (“diminutive”).

Origin

Source language: Italian

Word Breakdown

Root: bordello, *bʰer-

Inflected Forms

bordellos (plural) bordelloes (plural)

Synonyms

whorehouse brothel bagnio house of prostitution house of ill repute bawdyhouse cathouse sporting house

Rhymes With

sotelo sotello ciriello ciccarello dilello fellow hello yellow mellow cello 'cello jello

Questions

How do you pronounce bordello?: The recorded pronunciation is /bɔː(ɹ)ˈdɛləʊ/.
What does bordello mean?: A brothel.
Where does bordello come from?: It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce bordello

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bordello”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bɔː(ɹ)ˈdɛləʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bordello”.
Repeat and practice — Say “bordello” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.