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drivel

driv·el/dɹɪv.əl/noun, verb

drivel is spelled D-R-I-V-E-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables (driv·el). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, drivel means “Nonsense; senseless talk” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of drivel is drivels.

How many letters and syllables are in drivel?

Letters6: D-R-I-V-E-L
Syllables2: driv·el
In writingabout once in every 2 million words; the 40,703rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 drivel?

Drivel appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,703rd 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 drivel?

  • US /dɹɪv.əl/
  • /dɹəv.əl/

Drivel has 2 syllables, split driv·el in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-drivel.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of drivel

  • drivels plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • driveling US, participle, present
  • drivelling UK, participle, present
  • driveled US, participle, past
  • drivelled UK, participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does drivel mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Nonsense; senseless talk.

  2. 2

    rareSaliva, drool.

  3. 3

    obsoleteA servant; a drudge.

  4. 4

    obsoleteA fool; an idiot.

verb

  1. 1

    To talk nonsense; to talk senselessly; to drool.

  2. 2

    archaicTo have saliva drip from the mouth.

  3. 3

    To be weak or foolish; to dote.

  4. 4

    obsoleteTo move or travel slowly.

  5. 5

    obsoleteTo use up or to be used up.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Drivel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchfoutaise (senseless talk), bave (saliva, drool), radoter, baragouiner (to talk nonsense), baver (to have saliva drip from the mouth)
GermanBlödsinn, Faselei, Gefasel, Gelaber, Laberei, Geschwafel (senseless talk)
Portuguesebesteira, bobagem (senseless talk), baba (saliva, drool), babar (to have saliva drip from the mouth)
Spanishtonterías, chorradas, babosadas, leseras, macanas, monserga (senseless talk)

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 drivel come from?

From Middle English dravel, dribil, a deverbal from drevelen, drivelen (Etymology 2).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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