fondle
/ˈfɒndəl/verb, noun
fondle is spelled F-O-N-D-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,738th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, fondle means “To touch or stroke lovingly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fondle?
| Letters | 6: F-O-N-D-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,738th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 fondle?
Fondle appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,738th 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 fondle?
- /ˈfɒndəl/
Fondle 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-fondle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fondle?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as fondle.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: enfold.
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 fondle
- fondles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- fondling participle, present
- fondled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fondle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To touch or stroke lovingly.
Mothers fondle their babies.
- 2
To grasp.
The lovers fondled each other.
noun
- 1
A caress.
I gave the sleeping dog's ears a fondle as I walked past.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fondle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to touch or stroke lovingly:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | caresser |
| German | liebkosen, kosen |
| Portuguese | acariciar |
| Spanish | acariciar, franelear, cachondear |
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 fondle come from?
From fond (“love, admire”) + -le (frequentative suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).