There are 15,800 search results on Bing for the misspelling 'Bellweather'. 'Bellweather' ranks in the top 130 of most common errors caught by TripleChecker, with at least 58 websites containing this mistake.¹
'Bellwether' is a noun. It refers to a leading indicator or a person/thing that leads or predicts trends. Historically, it referred to a castrated ram that wore a bell around its neck, leading a flock of sheep.
Bellwether
The word 'bellwether' originates from the Middle English term 'bellewether,' which referred to a ram that wore a bell around its neck. This ram would lead a flock of sheep, and the term came to symbolize a leader or indicator of trends. The word combines 'bell' and 'wether,' with 'wether' denoting a castrated male sheep.
The word 'bellwether' is pronounced as /ˈbɛlˌwɛðər/. It can be broken down phonetically to sound like "bel-weth-er."
The word 'bellwether' can be used in a sentence like this: "The company's performance is often seen as a bellwether for the industry’s trends." When using 'bellwether,' it is important to spell it correctly and to use it in contexts related to indicators or predictors of trends, as it originally referred to a castrated ram with a bell that led a flock of sheep, symbolizing leadership or guidance in a particular area.