pickleball terms
Pickleball Terms and Definitions
A quick glossary for the words players hear on court, in lessons, and in rule explanations.
What this page covers
Definitions for common court language.
Links naturally into rules and strategy.
Useful for beginners before their first open play.
Expandable into slang and advanced technique terms.
- Dink
- A soft shot that lands in or near the kitchen to make an attack difficult.
- Erne
- A volley hit near the sideline after legally moving outside the kitchen.
- Falafel
- A light or mishit shot that lacks pace.
- Kitchen
- The non-volley zone extending 7 feet from the net on both sides.
- Side-out
- When service transfers to the other team after the serving side loses its serving turns.
- Third-shot drop
- A soft third shot designed to land in the kitchen and let the serving team move forward.