fizzle
/ˈfɪzəl/verb, noun
fizzle is spelled F-I-Z-Z-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,954th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, fizzle means “To sputter or hiss” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fizzle?
| Letters | 6: F-I-Z-Z-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,954th 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 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 fizzle?
Fizzle appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,954th 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 fizzle?
- US /ˈfɪzəl/
Fizzle 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-fizzle.ogg, En-au-fizzle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fizzle?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fizzle from its last stressed vowel (/ɪzəl/):
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 fizzle
- fizzles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- fizzling participle, present
- fizzled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fizzle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To sputter or hiss.
The soda fizzled for several minutes after it was poured.
- 2
informalTo decay or die off to nothing; to burn out; to end less successfully than previously hoped.
The entire project fizzled after the founder quit.
- 3
To fail to generate the expected yield when exploded during testing.
The shot fizzled, generating only 200 tons rather than the 30 kilotons they were aiming for.
noun
- 1
A spluttering or hissing sound.
- 2
Failure of an exploding nuclear bomb to meet its expected yield during testing.
- 3
An abortive effort; a flop or dud.
- 4
A state of agitation or worry.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fizzle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pétiller , partir en fumée , bide, raté |
| German | zischen , im Sande verlaufen, totlaufen, zu nichts führen, fehlschlagen, missglücken |
| Spanish | fundir, fundirse apagarse, menguar, esfumarse |
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 fizzle come from?
Attested in English since 1525-35. From earlier fysel (“to fart”). Related to fīsa (“to fart”). Compare with Swedish fisa (“to fart (silently)”). See also feist. It could also come from old Norse: "fise" simply means "blow," like in "blow in the wind." A weather-exposed community in Rogaland, Norway, is called Fister. (In modern language, the verb "fisle" has the same 3 meanings as in English, see below.)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).