settle

set·tleUK /ˈsɛ.təl/verb

settle is spelled S-E-T-T-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (set·tle). It appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,814th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, settle means “To determine (something which was exposed to doubt or question); to resolve conclusively; to set or fix (a time, an order of succession, etc)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in settle?

Letters	6: S-E-T-T-L-E
Syllables	2: set·tle
In writing	23 times per million words; the 3,814th 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 settle?

Settle appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,814th most frequent word form in the list.

settle0.0010.010.11101001,00010,000

rarerper million words of written Englishmore common

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce settle?

UK /ˈsɛ.təl/
UK [ˈsɛtəɫ]
UK [ˈsɛtɫ̩]

Settle has 2 syllables, split set·tle in writing.

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

Forms of settle

settles present, singular, he/she/it
settling participle, present
settled participle, past
sattle

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

What does settle mean?

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

verb

1
To determine (something which was exposed to doubt or question); to resolve conclusively; to set or fix (a time, an order of succession, etc).
His fears were settled
2
To conclude, to cause (a dispute) to finish.
to settle a quarrel
3
In particular, to terminate (a lawsuit), usually out of court, by agreement of all parties.
4
To close, liquidate or balance (an account) by payment, sometimes of less than is owed or due.
5
colloquialTo pay (a bill or debt).
6
To adjust differences or accounts; to come to an agreement on matters in dispute.
He has settled with his creditors.
7
To conclude a lawsuit by agreement of the parties rather than a decision of a court.
8
To place or arrange in(to) a desired (especially: calm) state, or make final disposition of (something).
to settle my affairs

noun

1
archaicA seat of any kind.
[The] Queen or eorl's wife, with a train of maidens, bore ale-bowl or mead-bowl round the hall, from the high settle of king or ealdorman in the midst to the mead benches ranged around its walls, while the gleeman sang the hero-songs
2
archaicA long bench with a high back and arms, often with chest or storage space underneath.
Let us return now to the little girl we left feigning to sleep soundly upon a settle in the kitchen.
3
obsoleteA place made lower than the rest; a wide step or platform lower than some other part. (Compare a depression.)

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

Settle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

Language	Words
Portuguese	resolver (to determine), saldar, liquidar, pagar (to pay a bill), apaziguar (to calm), assentar-se (to fix one's dwelling)
Spanish	resolver, dirimir, zanjar (to determine), solventar, solver, consentir (to conclude as an argument)
French	solder (to pay a bill), s'installer, ≈ in coloniser, s'habituer (to fix one's dwelling), régler (to conclude as an argument), installer (to place in a fixed or permanent condition)
German	siedeln (to fix one's dwelling)

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.