startle
/ˈstɑɹt(ə)l/verb, noun
startle is spelled S-T-A-R-T-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, startle means “To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in startle?
| Letters | 7: S-T-A-R-T-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th 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 startle?
Startle appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th 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 startle?
- UK /ˈstɑːt(ə)l/
- US /ˈstɑɹt(ə)l/
Startle 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-startle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with startle?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as startle (/ɑɹtl/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: starlet, telstar, slatter.
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 startle
- startles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- startling participle, present
- startled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does startle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.
a horse that startles easily
- 2
To excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise.
- 3
obsoleteTo deter; to cause to deviate.
noun
- 1
A sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Startle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sursauter , surprendre |
| German | aufschrecken, scheuen , erschrecken |
| Spanish | sobresaltarse, alarmarse, espantarse, pajarear, asustarse, sobrecogerse |
| Portuguese | assustar, dar um susto |
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 startle come from?
From Middle English startlen, stertlen, stertyllen (“to rush, stumble along”), from Old English steartlian (“to kick with the foot, struggle, stumble”), equivalent to start + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stirtla (“to hobble, stagger”), Icelandic stirtla (“to straighten up, erect”). Compare also Middle English stertil (“hasty”). More at start.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).