chuckle
/ˈt͡ʃʌkəl/noun, verb
chuckle is spelled C-H-U-C-K-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.3 times per million words in written English, the 14,509th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, chuckle means “A quiet laugh” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of chuckle is chuckles.
How many letters and syllables are in chuckle?
| Letters | 7: C-H-U-C-K-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.3 times per million words; the 14,509th 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 chuckle?
Chuckle appears 3.3 times per million words in written English, the 14,509th 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 chuckle?
- /ˈt͡ʃʌkəl/
Chuckle 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).
Forms of chuckle
- chuckles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- chuckling participle, present
- chuckled participle, past
- more chuckle comparative
- most chuckle superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does chuckle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A quiet laugh.
verb
- 1
To laugh quietly or inwardly.
- 2
To communicate through chuckling.
She chuckled her assent to my offer as she got in the car.
- 3
archaicTo make the sound of a chicken; to cluck.
- 4
archaicTo call together, or call to follow, as a hen calls her chickens; to cluck.
- 5
archaicTo fondle; to indulge or pamper.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteClumsy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Chuckle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ricanerie, ricanement , ricaner , glousser |
| German | Kichern , kichern |
| Portuguese | gracejar |
| Spanish | reír entre dientes , cocorear, cacarear |
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 chuckle come from?
From chuck (“laugh”) + -le.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).