Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

caravel

/ˈkæɹəvɛl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.73 in modern English

Syllables
ca-ra-vel
IPA
/ˈkæɹəvɛl/
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A light, usually lateen-rigged sailing ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish for about 300 years from the 15th century, first for trade and later for voyages of exploration.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle French caravelle, from Old French caruelle, carvelle (“caravel”), from Old Galician-Portuguese caravela (“caravel”), a diminutive of caravo, carabo (“type of small vessel”), from Late Latin carabus (“small wicker boat decked with hide”), from Ancient Greek κᾱ́ρᾰβος (kā́răbos, “type of light ship; kind of beetle, probably a longhorn beetle; kind of crustacean, probably a crayfish”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈkæɹəvɛl/
  • British English: /ˈkæɹəvɛl/

Inflected Forms

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce caravel?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkæɹəvɛl/.
What does caravel mean?
A light, usually lateen-rigged sailing ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish for about 300 years from the 15th century, first for trade and later for voyages of exploration.
Where does caravel come from?
It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce caravel

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