prickle
/ˈpɹɪkəl/noun, verb
prickle is spelled P-R-I-C-K-L-E: 7 letters. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, prickle means “A sharp and often small point, especially that of a plant; a thorn” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prickle is prickles.
How many letters and syllables are in prickle?
| Letters | 7: P-R-I-C-K-L-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 103,949th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 prickle?
Prickle appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th 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 prickle?
- /ˈpɹɪkəl/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-prickle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with prickle?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as prickle.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: pickler.
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 prickle
- prickles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- prickling participle, present
- prickled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prickle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sharp and often small point, especially that of a plant; a thorn.
- 2
A sharp, hard extension of the cortex and epidermis of some plants (such as roses), as distinguished from a thorn.
- 3
A tingling sensation of mild discomfort.
- 4
Gooseflesh.
- 5
A kind of willow basket.
- 6
UKobsoleteA sieve of hazelnuts, weighing about fifty pounds.
- 7
A group of hedgehogs or porcupines.
verb
- 1
To feel a prickle.
- 2
To cause (someone) to feel a prickle; to prick.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prickle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | épine |
| German | Stachel, Dorn , prickeln |
| Portuguese | ferrão |
| Spanish | aguijón, espina, púa |
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 prickle come from?
From Middle English prykkyl, prykyl, from Old English pricel, pricels, pricle (“a prickle, sharp point, bit”), from a conflation of Proto-West Germanic *prikislī and *prikil (“prickle”). By surface analysis, prick + -le. Cognate with West Frisian prikel (“goad, prickle”), Dutch prikkel (“sting, prickle, stimulus”), German Low German Prekel (“wooden stick, poker”), Saterland Frisian prikkelje (“to propel, spur on, goad”). First attested in the Old English period.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).