ruddle
/ˈɹʌdəl/noun, verb
ruddle is spelled R-U-D-D-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 39 million words in written English, the 191,932nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ruddle means “A form of red ochre sometimes used to mark sheep” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ruddle is ruddles.
How many letters and syllables are in ruddle?
| Letters | 6: R-U-D-D-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 39 million words; the 191,932nd 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 ruddle?
Ruddle appears about once in every 39 million words in written English, the 191,932nd 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 ruddle?
- /ˈɹʌdəl/
Ruddle 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).
Forms of ruddle
- ruddles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ruddling participle, present
- ruddled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ruddle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A form of red ochre sometimes used to mark sheep.
- 2
obsoleteRuddiness; red coloration.
- 3
A riddle or sieve.
verb
- 1
To mark something with red ochre.
- 2
To raddle or twist.
- 3
To sift together; to mix, as through a sieve.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does ruddle come from?
From rud + -le. Compare German Rötel (“track”), Post-Classical Latin rudellum. Compare to reddle and raddle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).