spiel
/ʃpiːl/noun, verb
spiel is spelled S-P-I-E-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, spiel means “A lengthy and extravagant speech or argument usually intended to persuade” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of spiel is spiels.
How many letters and syllables are in spiel?
| Letters | 5: S-P-I-E-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,663rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is spiel?
Spiel appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd 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 spiel?
- /ʃpiːl/
- /spiːl/
As a noun (“A curling tournament”): /spiːl/.
Spiel has one syllable (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-spiel.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-spiel2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with spiel?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as spiel.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: piles, spile.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of spiel
- spiels plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- shpeal
- schpeal
- shpiel
- schpiel
- schpeel
- spieling participle, present
- spieled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does spiel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A lengthy and extravagant speech or argument usually intended to persuade.
- 2
An early form of rap music.
- 3
A curling tournament.
verb
- 1
To talk at length.
- 2
To give a sales pitch; to promote by speaking.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Spiel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense A lengthy and extravagant speech or argument usually intended to persuade:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | boniment |
| German | langes Gerede, Schwafelei, Geschwafel |
| Portuguese | conversa fiada |
| Spanish | perorata, parrafada, monserga, monsergas |
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 spiel come from?
Borrowed from German Spiel (“game, performance”) or Yiddish שפּיל (shpil), both from Middle High German spil, from Old High German spil, from Proto-West Germanic *spil.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).