fledgling
/ˈflɛd͡ʒ.lɪŋ/adjective, noun
fledgling is spelled F-L-E-D-G-L-I-N-G: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, fledgling means “Untried or inexperienced” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fledgling?
| Letters | 9: F-L-E-D-G-L-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,367th 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 fledgling?
Fledgling appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th 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 fledgling?
- /ˈflɛd͡ʒ.lɪŋ/
Fledgling 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-fledgling.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fledgling
- fledgeling
- fledglings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fledgling mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Untried or inexperienced.
- 2
Emergent or rising.
noun
- 1
A young bird which has just developed its flight feathers (notably wings).
- 2
An insect that has just fledged, i.e. undergone its final moult to become an adult or imago.
- 3
An immature, naïve or inexperienced person.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fledgling in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | inexpérimenté , naissant, naissante, émergent, émergente , oisillon |
| German | unerfahren, unerprobt, ungeprüft , aloitteleva aufkommend (fi), aufkeimend, sich entwickelnd |
| Portuguese | inexperiente, novato , filhote/filho/pássaro/etc. recém-emplumado , iniciante |
| Spanish | inexperto, bisoño, principiante, novel, novicio , pollito |
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 fledgling come from?
From fledge (“prepare for flying”) + -ling.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).