Ballerina is a female ballet dancer, typically trained to perform in classical ballets and on a stage. The term denotes both the profession and a professional dancer, and it is used across English to describe performers in the art form. The word combines a borrowed Italian-root musical term with a feminine diminutive in many languages, reflecting its artistic heritage.
US: rhotic /r/ in the middle syllable, longer /iː/ in the stressed syllable; UK: non-rhotic or lightly rhotic depending on speaker, similar rhythm but with clipped middle syllable; AU: US-like rhythm with broader vowel sounds, sometimes stronger final /ə/. IPA anchors: /ˌbæl.əˈriː.nə/ (US), /ˌbæ.ləˈriː.nə/ (UK), /ˌbæ.ləˈriː.nə/ (AU).
"She trained as a ballerina from a very young age and now performs with the city ballet company."
"The audition asked for a strong technique and expressive stage presence suitable for a principal ballerina."
"In the mirror, you can see the poise and precision that marks a top-level ballerina."
"The documentary showcased how the ballerina maintains grace under pressure during demanding roles."
Ballerina comes from Italian ballerina, the feminine diminutive form of ballare, meaning to dance. The root ballare is descended from Latin ballare, from the Greek ballo, tied to the act of dancing or leaping. In English, the word arrived via Italian and French stage usage in the 18th–19th centuries, when classical ballet gained prominence in European courts and theaters. The masculine counterpart is ballerino; in English, the feminine form specifically denoted a female professional dancer in ballet. Over time, “ballerina” broadened from simply a skilled dancer in ballet to reference to a principal or celebrated performer, especially within company rosters, and colloquially to describe graceful, poised movement beyond ballet contexts. First known English usage dates to the late 19th century, in theatrical reviews and translations of Italian ballet writings, with ongoing adoption into mainstream media and dance literature as a standard term for female ballet professionals.
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Words that rhyme with "Ballerina"
-ina sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it as /ˌbæl·əˈriː·nə/ in US English. The rhythm is da-da-STRESSED-uh, with the primary stress on the third syllable: ba-luh-REE-nuh. Start with a light, short first syllable /ˈ/ secondary stress on the second, then emphasize /riː/ before the final /nə/. Mouth positions: lips relaxed, jaw slightly dropped for /æ/; tongue high for /riː/; avoid tensing the end. Listening to native dancers or tutorials with audio will help you match the long /iː/ sound in the stressed syllable.
Two common errors: (1) misplacing stress by saying ba-LE-ri-na or bal-LE-ri-na, which flattens the rhythm; (2) shortening the /riː/ into /ri/ or mispronouncing as /rɪ/ instead of a long /riː/. Correction: keep the primary stress on the third syllable and lengthen the /iː/ in /riː/ while maintaining a light, clear schwa /ə/ in the first syllable. Practice with a slow, exaggerated version, then normalize tempo.
In US English, you’ll hear /ˌbæl.əˈriː.nə/ with a rhotic 'r' and a clear long /iː/ in the stressed syllable. UK English tends to be /ˌbæ.ləˈriː.nə/ with slightly shorter vowels and more clipped final syllable; the /r/ is non-rhotic in some UK dialects, affecting the middle syllable. Australian English mirrors US rhythm with /ˌbæ.ləˈriː.nə/ but often with broader vowels and a more centralized /ɜː/ quality in some speakers. All share the three-syllable pattern but vowel lengths and rhoticity vary.
The difficulty centers on the stress pattern and vowel length: the primary stress lands on the third syllable (-riː-), which is easy to misplace, and the /riː/ requires a long, tense vowel that contrasts with the schwa in the first syllable. Additionally, the sequence /-ləˈriː.nə/ can trigger subtle vowel reductions when spoken quickly. Practicing with slow, deliberate enunciation helps stabilize rhythm and vowel quality.
A key feature is the contrast between the unstressed first syllable /ˈbæl/ vs. the long, stressed /riː/ in the third syllable. This creates a perceptible rise in pitch toward the stressed syllable and a smooth transition across syllables. Keeping a steady tempo helps prevent the middle syllable from becoming overly weak. IPA guidance: /ˌbæl.əˈriː.nə/ with clear separation between syllables when practicing silently, then fluid in actual speech.
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