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PlainSpell

puzzle

puz·zle/ˈpʌzəl/noun, verb

puzzle is spelled P-U-Z-Z-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (puz·zle). It appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, puzzle means “The state of feeling confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; bewilderment, confusion; (countable)…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of puzzle is puzzles.

How many letters and syllables are in puzzle?

Letters6: P-U-Z-Z-L-E
Syllables2: puz·zle
In writing9.1 times per million words; the 7,553rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

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).

How common is puzzle?

Puzzle appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd 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 puzzle?

  • US /ˈpʌzəl/
  • US [ˈpʌzɫ̩]
  • Australia /ˈpɐzəl/

Puzzle has 2 syllables, split puz·zle in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-ca-puzzle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of puzzle

  • puzzles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • puzzling participle, present
  • puzzled participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does puzzle mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    The state of feeling confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; bewilderment, confusion; (countable) often in in a puzzle: an instance of this.

  2. 2

    A thing such as a complicated matter or a problem which is difficult to make sense of or understand; also, a person who is difficult to make sense of or understand; an enigma.

    Where he went after he left the house is a puzzle.

  3. 3

    Often preceded by a descriptive word: a game or toy, or a problem, requiring some effort to complete or work out, which is intended as a pastime and/or to test one's mental ability.

    crossword puzzle    jigsaw puzzle

  4. 4

    obsoleteShort for puzzle-peg (“a piece of wood secured under a dog's jaw to keep the dog's nose away from the ground so that it uses the scent in the air to track its quarry, and to prevent the dog from tearing the quarry once found”).

verb

  1. 1

    To cause (oneself or someone, or their mind, etc.) to feel confused or mystified because they cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; to confuse, to mystify, to perplex.

  2. 2

    To use (one's brain or mind) to try to work out a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; also, to try to work out (a complicated matter, a problem, etc.).

  3. 3

    obsoleteTo (intentionally) make (something) complicated or confused, and so difficult to resolve or understand; to confuse, to complicate.

  4. 4

    obsoleteTo cause (someone) to not know what to do due to some problem, situation, etc.; to bewilder, to confound, to perplex.

  5. 5

    Often followed by about, over, or upon: to feel confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.

  6. 6

    Often followed by about, over, or or upon: to think deeply in bewilderment to try to work out a complicated matter, a problem, etc.

    We puzzled over the curious-shaped lock, but were unable to discover how the key should be inserted.

  7. 7

    To search in a confused or mystified manner.

  8. 8

    Followed by through: to solve a complicated matter, a problem, etc., by working through confusing or difficult matters.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Puzzle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchénigme, mystère (thing which is difficult to make sense of or…), puzzle, casse-tête, jeu de patience (game or toy, or problem, requiring some effort…)
GermanRätsel (thing which is difficult to make sense of or…), Puzzle, Geduldspiel, Geduldsspiel (game or toy, or problem, requiring some effort…), durcheinander bringen, verwirren ((transitive) to cause (oneself, or someone or…)
Portugueseenigma (thing which is difficult to make sense of or…), desafio, quebra-cabeça (game or toy, or problem, requiring some effort…), confundir, desconcertar, intrigar ((transitive) to cause (oneself, or someone or…)
Spanishenigma, rompecabezas (thing which is difficult to make sense of or…), puzle (game or toy, or problem, requiring some effort…), dejar perplejo, desconcertar, intrigar ((transitive) to cause (oneself, or someone or…)

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 puzzle come from?

The verb, of uncertain origin, is attested first.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after puzzle