riddle
rid·dle/ˈɹɪdəl/noun, verb
riddle is spelled R-I-D-D-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (rid·dle). It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, riddle means “A verbal puzzle, mystery, or other problem of an intellectual nature” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of riddle is riddles.
How many letters and syllables are in riddle?
| Letters | 6: R-I-D-D-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: rid·dle |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 riddle?
Riddle appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th 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 riddle?
- /ˈɹɪdəl/
- [ˈɹʷɪdəl] ~ [ˈɹʷɪdl̩]
- /ˈɹɪɾəl/
Riddle has 2 syllables, split rid·dle in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-riddle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of riddle
- riddles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- riddling participle, present
- riddled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does riddle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A verbal puzzle, mystery, or other problem of an intellectual nature.
Here's a riddle: It's black, and white, and red all over. What is it?
- 2
An ancient verbal, poetic, or literary form, in which, rather than a rhyme scheme, there are parallel opposing expressions with a hidden meaning.
- 3
A sieve with coarse meshes, usually of wire, for separating coarser materials from finer, as chaff from grain, cinders from ashes, or gravel from sand.
- 4
A board with a row of pins, set zigzag, between which wire is drawn to straighten it.
- 5
obsoleteA curtain; bedcurtain.
- 6
One of the pair of curtains enclosing an altar on the north and south.
verb
- 1
To speak ambiguously or enigmatically.
- 2
To solve, answer, or explicate a riddle or question.
Riddle me this.
- 3
To put something through a riddle or sieve; to sieve; to sift.
You have to riddle the gravel before you lay it on the road.
- 4
To fill with holes like a riddle.
The shots from his gun began to riddle the targets.
- 5
To fill or spread throughout; to pervade (with something destructive or weakening).
Your argument is riddled with errors.
- 6
obsoleteTo plait.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Riddle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | devinaille, devinette, énigme , cribler |
| German | Rätsel, Scherzfrage , enträtseln , durchlöchern |
| Portuguese | adivinha, charada, enigma , crivar |
| Spanish | acertijo, adivinanza, cosicosa, enigma, quisicosa, quesiqués |
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 riddle come from?
From Middle English redel, redels, from Old English rǣdels, rǣdelse (“counsel, opinion, imagination, riddle”), from Proto-West Germanic *rādislī (“counsel, conjecture”). Analyzable as rede (“advice”) + -le. Akin to Old English rǣdan (“to read, advise, interpret”). Cognate with Dutch raadsel, German Rätsel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).