ripple
/ˈɹɪp(ə)l/noun, verb
ripple is spelled R-I-P-P-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,896th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ripple means “A moving disturbance, or undulation, in the surface of a fluid” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ripple is ripples.
How many letters and syllables are in ripple?
| Letters | 6: R-I-P-P-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.6 times per million words; the 16,896th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is ripple?
Ripple appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,896th 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 ripple?
- US /ˈɹɪp(ə)l/
Ripple 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-ripple.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ripple
- ripples plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- rippling participle, present
- rippled participle, past
- reeple
- riple
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ripple mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A moving disturbance, or undulation, in the surface of a fluid.
I dropped a small stone into the pond and watched the ripples spread.
- 2
One of a series of corrugations in flat surface.
The ebbing tide had left ripples in the sand.
- 3
A sound similar to that of undulating water.
- 4
A style of ice cream in which flavors have been coarsely blended together.
I enjoy fudge ripple ice cream, but I especially like to dig through the carton to get at the ripple part and eat only that.
- 5
A small oscillation of an otherwise steady signal.
- 6
A small spreading change, impact, or effect produced by a larger or more consequential action.
- 7
An implement, with teeth like those of a comb, for removing the seeds and seed vessels from flax, broom corn, etc.
- 8
thripple, cart ladder (extension for cart or wagon)
verb
- 1
To move like the undulating surface of a body of water; to undulate.
- 2
To propagate like a moving wave.
- 3
To make a sound as of water running gently over a rough bottom, or the breaking of ripples on the shore.
- 4
To shape into a series of ripples.
- 5
To launch or unleash in rapid succession.
- 6
To scratch, tear, or break slightly; graze
- 7
To remove the seeds from (the stalks of flax, etc.), by means of a ripple.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ripple in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ondulation , ondulation résiduelle , onduler , drège |
| German | Kräuseln, kleine Welle , Welligkeit , Riffel, Riffelkamm |
| Portuguese | ondulação , ondular |
| Spanish | ondulación , ondular |
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 ripple come from?
From an alteration of rimple.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).