# handle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhæn.d(ə)l/ · frequency rank #1,695

## Definitions
1. The part of an object which is (designed to be) held in the hand when used or moved.
2. An instrument for effecting a purpose (either literally or figuratively); a tool, or an opportunity or pretext.
3. The gross amount of wagering within a given period of time or for a given event at one of more establishments.
4. The tactile qualities of a fabric, e.g., softness, firmness, elasticity, fineness, resilience, and other qualities perceived by touch.
5. A name or nickname, especially as an identifier over the radio or Internet.
6. A title attached to one's name, such as Doctor or Colonel.
7. A reference to an object or structure that can be stored in a variable.
8. A traditional dimpled glass with a handle, for serving a pint of beer.
9. A 10 fluid ounce (285 mL) glass of beer.
10. A half-gallon (1.75-liter) bottle of alcohol.
11. A point, an extremity of land.
12. A topological space homeomorphic to a ball but viewed as a product of two lower-dimensional balls.
13. The smooth, irreducible subcurve of a comb which connects to each of the other components in exactly one point.
14. A person's nose.
15. The amount wagered in the various pari-mutuel pools for a particular event or events.

## Etymology
From Middle English handel, handle, from Old English handle (“handle”), from Proto-West Germanic *handulā (“handle”). See verb below. Cognate with German Hantel (“dumbbell, barbell”), Danish handel (“handle”). Related to hand.

## Easily confused with
- **hands** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-hands)
- **handy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-handy)
- **hardly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-hardly)
- **hassle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-hassle)
- **hurdle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-hurdle)
- **Hanley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-hanley)
- **huddle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-huddle)
- **Hardie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-hardie)
- **handled** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-handled)
- **handler** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-handler)
- **handset** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-handset)
- **Handley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handle-vs-handley)
- **hand** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hand-vs-handle)
- **hale** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hale-vs-handle)
- **Halle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/halle-vs-handle)
- **handed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handed-vs-handle)
- **Hadley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hadley-vs-handle)
- **Handel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handel-vs-handle)
- **hander** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hander-vs-handle)
- **haggle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haggle-vs-handle)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ahndle`, `hadnle`, `handdle`, `handlle`, `hanlde`, `hanndle`, `hhandle`, `hnadle`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/handle