Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

svelte

/ˈsvɛlt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.22 in modern English

Syllables
svelte
IPA
/ˈsvɛlt/
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from French svelte, from Italian svelto (“stretched out”), past participle of svellere (“to pluck out, root out”), from Vulgar Latin *exvellere, from ex + vellere (“to pluck, stretch”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: svelto, *exvellere

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce svelte?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsvɛlt/.
What does svelte mean?
Attractively thin; gracefully slender.
Where does svelte come from?
It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce svelte

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