howl
/ˈhaʊ̯l/noun, verb
howl is spelled H-O-W-L: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, howl means “The protracted, mournful cry of a dog, wolf or other canid; also of other animals” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of howl is howls.
How many letters and syllables are in howl?
| Letters | 4: H-O-W-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,965th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 howl?
Howl appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,965th 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 howl?
- US /ˈhaʊ̯l/
- US /ˈhaʊ̯l̩/
- /ˈhæʊ̯l/
Howl has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-howl.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with howl?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as howl from its last stressed vowel (/aʊl/):
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 howl
- howls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- howling participle, present
- howled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does howl mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The protracted, mournful cry of a dog, wolf or other canid; also of other animals.
- 2
Any similar sound.
The howl of the wind
- 3
A prolonged cry of distress or anguish; a wail.
verb
- 1
To utter a loud, protracted, mournful sound or cry, as dogs and wolves often do.
- 2
To utter a sound expressive of pain or distress; to cry aloud and mournfully; to lament; to wail.
- 3
To make a noise resembling the cry of a wild beast.
They howled with laughter at the prank.
- 4
To utter with outcry.
to howl derision
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Howl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hurlement , hurler |
| German | Heulen , heulen, jaulen |
| Portuguese | uivo , uivar |
| Spanish | aullido , aullar, guarrear, otilar , alarido, berrido |
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 howl come from?
From Middle English howlen, houlen, from Old English *hūlian, from Proto-West Germanic *hūilōn, from Proto-Germanic *hūwilōną, *hiuwilōną (“to howl”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *kū-, *kew- (“to howl, scream”). Likely of imitative origin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).