Bell refers to an object shaped like an upside-down cup, that makes a musical sound and is often found in church towers—or an electronic device, such as a doorbell, which makes a similar ringing sound:
I rang her doorbell just as the church bells began to ring and for a second I thought she had a really loud doorbell!
Belle, in contrast, is a very odd word in English, because it describes a woman, or teen girl, who is recognized as having a certain social value at the time she is called a belle. She might be at a formal social event, and recognized to be among the most attractive and popular women there; then she is said to be “the belle of the ball.” A ball is an old-fashioned, usually aristocratic, formal dance, where, traditionally, young women were considered to be on display for the admiration of potential husbands:
With all the young men competing for her attention, in her new red dress, she was the belle of the ball.
Yes, this is indeed a sexist word and idea; it comes from a former age, and has those connotations. The word belle is borrowed from French, without changing the spelling. French words usually have aristocratic connotations in English.
In fact, belle is normally only used in two phrases: a southern belle and belle of the X. This was originally belle of the ball, only, but now people may say belle of (something else) in order to convey the same idea:
With her purple hair and thigh-high boots, she was the belle of the punk club.
Southern belle, on the other hand, refers to any young adult female, from an aristocratic family of the southern United States, who dresses and behaves like a privileged and cultured young woman:
Such a pretty and charming young lady, from such a great New Orleans family – she’s a real southern belle.
You may also occasionally hear the French word belle used in a few other set phrases used in English, such as belle epoque—an era of high cultural achievement.
Common English Phrases Using "Bell" and "Belle"
Bell Phrases
- Sound the bell
- Ring the bell
- Jingle bells
- Silver bells
- Bells of freedom
- Sound the alarm bells
- The bell jar
- The Bell Curve
- Bell pepper
Belle Phrases
- Belle of the ball
- The belle of my heart
- The belle of all times
- A fair belle
- Belle Epoque
More Examples of How to Use "Bell" in a Sentence
- The sound of the church bell rings in the distance.
- I can hear a bell ringing in the distance.
- He rang the bell while Mrs. Bell was in the kitchen cooking a meal.
- My favorite show was Saved by the Bell.
- I rang the bell and knocked on the door, but nobody answered.
- The bell rang fifteen minutes after class began—it must have been defective.
- At school, I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could go to lunch.
- My dog always responds by ringing the bell when he wants to go out for a walk.
- I ran as fast as I could to get inside before the bell stopped ringing.
- The bell rang and a young boy ran to answer it, knocking into the lady by accident and apologizing profusely.
- The sound of the morning bell brought the village's children far and wide.
- The bells of freedom rang out over the city and were heard by all.
- Sandra could hear the faint sound of bells ringing in the distance.
- The bells jingled and jangled as they glistened around the tree.
- The bells are still ringing in my head as I write this sentence.
- I could use a little more cowbell on the track.
- The bells jingled merrily merrily across the street.
- The church bells tolled solemnly for our loved ones.
- A great bell hung over the door.
- The bell has a low, beautiful tone to it.
- Every year, around Christmas time, the church rings its silver bells.
More Examples of How to Use "Belle" in a Sentence
- The belle at the far end of the hall has a cute dress that looks like a flower.
- Belle's heart skipped a beat at seeing the Beast.
- My grandma Belle loved pushing her walker down the street.
- Belle was sitting in the park, reading her favorite book.
- It is really sweet to see a beau provide for his belle.
- The belle of the ball looked gorgeous in her long, white dress.
- I heard Belle laugh when she saw the kitten.
- The old woman told the children a story of the belle.
- The young belle refused to engage in any discussion on the matter.
- A belle was wearing a beautiful dress that shimmered in the sunlight.
- Belle is also an old-timey word that means beautiful.
- The belles of the ball wore beautiful dresses and jewels.
- A belle is often a woman of high social standing.
- Belle is an may be an outdated word, but it’s the first one that comes to mind when I see how beautiful you look.