meddle
/ˈmɛd.əl/verb
meddle is spelled M-E-D-D-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “meddle vs mettle” about 140 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, meddle means “To interfere in or with; to concern oneself with unduly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in meddle?
| Letters | 6: M-E-D-D-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,912th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is meddle?
Meddle appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th 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 meddle?
- /ˈmɛd.əl/
- [ˈmɛɾəɫ]
Meddle 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: En-us-meddle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with meddle
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: medal (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of meddle
- meddles present, singular, he/she/it
- meddling participle, present
- meddled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does meddle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To interfere in or with; to concern oneself with unduly.
- 2
obsoleteTo interest or engage oneself; to have to do (with), in a good sense.
- 3
obsoleteTo mix (something) with some other substance; to commingle, combine, blend.
- 4
USTo have sex.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Meddle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to interfere in affairs:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | s'ingérer, se mêler |
| German | sich einmischen |
| Portuguese | intrometer |
| Spanish | entrometerse, inmiscuirse, injerirse, mangonear, entremeterse, caciquear |
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 meddle come from?
From Middle English medlen, from Anglo-Norman medler, from Early Medieval Latin misculāre, derived from Latin misceō (“to mix”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).