In geography a hamlet is a small settlement.

In British geography, a hamlet is defined ecclesiastically. It is a village that may or may not have its own church, but that does not form a parish in its own right.

Examples of UK hamlets that have articles on Wikipedia are:

In other parts of the world a hamlet is simply a small inhabited place.

While it is generally an unofficial term in the US, in New York State and the Northwest Territories there are officially-designated municipalities, generally smaller than villages, classified as hamlets.