bristling
brist·ling/ˈbɹɪs(ə)lɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
bristling is spelled B-R-I-S-T-L-I-N-G: 9 letters and 2 syllables (brist·ling). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,808th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, bristling means “Having bristles” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bristling?
| Letters | 9: B-R-I-S-T-L-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: brist·ling |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 54,808th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bristling?
Bristling appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,808th 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 bristling?
- /ˈbɹɪs(ə)lɪŋ/
Bristling has 2 syllables, split brist·ling in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-bristling.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bristling
- more bristling comparative
- most bristling superlative
- bristlings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bristling mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having bristles.
- 2
Reacting with anger or indignation.
- 3
UKdatedDressed in effective defensive equipment while not seeking a fight.
noun
- 1
The act of one who bristles.
- 2
Alternative form of brisling.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of bristle
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bristling in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the act of one who bristles:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | piloerección, erizamiento |
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.