heckle
/ˈhɛkəl/
"heckle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“heckle” is an uncommon English word, ranked #59,441 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #59,441
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To question harshly in an attempt to find or reveal weaknesses.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | heckle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈhɛkəl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #59,441 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “heckle” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for heckle is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɛkəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #59,441 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for heckle in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Transferred usage of Middle English hekelen (“to comb flax or hemp with a heckle”), from hekele (“a comb for flax or hemp”), from Middle Dutch hekelen (“to prickle, irritate”), from Proto-West Germanic *hakilōn, from Proto-Germanic *hakilōną, related to *ha… The correct English form is heckle, spelled H-E-C-K-L-E.
Definition
- 1To question harshly in an attempt to find or reveal weaknesses.
- 2To insult, tease, make fun of or badger, especially during a comedy performance.
- 3To prepare (flax) for spinning, using special combs called hackles.
Etymology
Transferred usage of Middle English hekelen (“to comb flax or hemp with a heckle”), from hekele (“a comb for flax or hemp”), from Middle Dutch hekelen (“to prickle, irritate”), from Proto-West Germanic *hakilōn, from Proto-Germanic *hakilōną, related to *hakô (“hook”). Related to hackle.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “heckle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-E-C-K-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhɛkəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.