castle
/ˈkɑːsəl/noun, verb
castle is spelled C-A-S-T-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,288th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, castle means “A large residential building or compound that is fortified and contains many defences; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king. Also…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of castle is castles.
How many letters and syllables are in castle?
| Letters | 6: C-A-S-T-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 28 times per million words; the 3,288th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is castle?
Castle appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,288th 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 castle?
- UK /ˈkɑːsəl/
- UK /kɑːsl̩/
- /ˈkæsəl/
Castle 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-castle.ogg, En-au-castle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with castle?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as castle (/ɑsəl/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cleats.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of castle
- castles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- castling participle, present
- castled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does castle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A large residential building or compound that is fortified and contains many defences; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king. Also, a house or mansion with some of the architectural features of medieval castles.
- 2
An instance of castling.
- 3
informalA rook; a chess piece shaped like a castle tower.
- 4
A defense structure in shogi formed by defensive pieces surrounding the king.
- 5
obsoleteA close helmet.
- 6
datedAny strong, imposing, and stately palace or mansion.
- 7
datedA small tower, as on a ship, or an elephant's back.
- 8
colloquialThe wicket.
verb
- 1
To house or keep in a castle.
...to encastle, to Castle.
- 2
To protect or separate in a similar way.
Castle me in the armes of thy everlasting strength.
- 3
obsoleteTo make into a castle: to build in the form of a castle or add (real or imitation) battlements to an existing building.
- 4
To move the king 2 squares right or left and, in the same turn, the nearest rook to the far side of the king. The move now has special rules: the king cannot be in, go through, or end in check; the squares between the king and rook must be vacant; and neither piece may have been moved before castling.
- 5
To create a similar defensive position in Japanese chess through several moves.
- 6
To bowl a batsman with a full-length ball or yorker such that the stumps are knocked over.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Castle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | château, château-fort , roquer |
| German | Burg, Festung, Schloss , rochieren |
| Portuguese | castelo , rocar |
| Spanish | castillo, castro , enrocar |
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 castle come from?
From Middle English castle, castel, from late Old English castel, castell (“a town, village”), borrowed from Late Latin castellum (“small camp, fort”), diminutive of Latin castrum (“camp, fort, citadel, stronghold”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).