babble
/ˈbæb.(ə)l/verb, noun
babble is spelled B-A-B-B-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, babble means “To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in babble?
| Letters | 6: B-A-B-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is babble?
Babble appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce babble?
- /ˈbæb.(ə)l/
Babble has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-babble.ogg, En-au-babble.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of babble
- babbles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- babbling participle, present
- babbled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does babble mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds
The men were babbling, so we couldn't make sense of anything.
- 2
To talk incoherently; to utter meaningless words.
- 3
To talk too much; to chatter; to prattle.
She babbled on for hours about the importance of some new gadget.
- 4
To make a continuous murmuring noise, like shallow water running over stones.
Hounds are said to babble, or to be babbling, when they are too noisy after having found a good scent.
- 5
To utter in an indistinct or incoherent way; to repeat words or sounds in a childish way without understanding.
- 6
To reveal; to give away (a secret).
noun
- 1
Idle talk; senseless prattle.
- 2
Inarticulate speech; constant or confused murmur.
- 3
A sound like that of water gently flowing around obstructions.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Babble in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | marmonner, marmotter, jargonner , bavarder, papoter, caqueter |
| German | brabbeln, murmeln , schwätzen, plappern, babbeln , plätschern |
| Portuguese | balbuciar , murmurar , balbuciação, papo , murmúrio |
| Spanish | mascullar, farfullar , charlar, charlatanear, chacharear, charlotear |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does babble come from?
From Middle English babelen, from Old English *bæblian, also wæflian (“to talk foolishly”), from Proto-West Germanic *bablōn, *wablōn, variants of *babalōn, from Proto-Germanic *babalōną (“to chatter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰa-bʰa-, perhaps a reduplication of Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to say”), or a variant of Proto-Indo-European *baba- (“to talk vaguely, mumble”), or a merger of the two, possibly ultimately onomatopoeic/mimicry of infantile sounds (compare babe, baby).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).