fuddle
/ˈfʌdəl/verb, noun
fuddle is spelled F-U-D-D-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 33 million words in written English, the 176,009th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, fuddle means “To confuse or befuddle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fuddle?
| Letters | 6: F-U-D-D-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 33 million words; the 176,009th 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 fuddle?
Fuddle appears about once in every 33 million words in written English, the 176,009th 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 fuddle?
- /ˈfʌdəl/
Fuddle 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-fuddle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fuddle
- fuddles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- fuddling participle, present
- fuddled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fuddle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To confuse or befuddle.
- 2
To intoxicate.
- 3
To become intoxicated; to get drunk.
noun
- 1
Intoxication.
- 2
Intoxicating drink; liquor.
- 3
Muddle, confusion.
- 4
UKA party or picnic where attendees bring food and wine; a kind of potluck.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fuddle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense intoxicate:
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 fuddle come from?
Compare Dutch vod (“soft”), German dialect fuddeln (“to swindle”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).