doodle
doo·dle/ˈdud(ə)l/noun, verb
doodle is spelled D-O-O-D-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (doo·dle). It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, doodle means “A small mindless sketch, etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of doodle is doodles.
How many letters and syllables are in doodle?
| Letters | 6: D-O-O-D-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: doo·dle |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 19,825th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is doodle?
Doodle appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th 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 doodle?
- UK /ˈduːdl̩/
- US /ˈdud(ə)l/
Doodle has 2 syllables, split doo·dle in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-doodle.ogg, En-au-doodle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with doodle?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as doodle from its last stressed vowel (/udl/):
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 doodle
- doodles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- doodling participle, present
- doodled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does doodle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteA fool, a simpleton, a mindless person.
Mrs. Sneak. Why doodle! jackanapes! harkee, who am I? Sneak. Come, don't go to call names: am I? vhy my vife, and I am your master.
- 2
A small mindless sketch, etc.
- 3
slangThe penis.
- 4
Any crossbreed of a poodle with a different breed of dog.
verb
- 1
To draw or scribble aimlessly.
The bored student doodled a submarine in his notebook.
- 2
To engage in something non-seriously; fiddle.
- 3
ScotlandTo drone like a bagpipe.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Doodle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Dummkopf, Einfaltspinsel , Gekritzel, Kritzelei , Penis, Schwanz |
| French | griffonnage, gribouillis , zizi , griffonner, gribouiller |
| Portuguese | rabisco, garatuja , rabiscar, garatujar |
| Spanish | garabato, garrapato, monigote, garabateo , garabatear |
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 doodle come from?
Originally dialectal, from Low German dudeldopp (“simpleton”). Influenced by dawdle. Compare also German dudeln (“to play (the bagpipe)”). The word doodle first appeared in the early 17th century to mean a fool or simpleton. German variants of the etymon include Dudeltopf, Dudentopf, Dudenkopf, Dude and Dödel. American English dude may be a derivation of doodle. The meaning "fool, simpleton" is intended in the song title "Yankee Doodle", originally sung by British colonial troops prior to the American Revolutionary War.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).