stickle
/ˈstɪk(ə)l/noun, adjective, verb
stickle is spelled S-T-I-C-K-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 22 million words in written English, the 141,699th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, stickle means “A sharp point; prickle; a spine” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of stickle is stickles.
How many letters and syllables are in stickle?
| Letters | 7: S-T-I-C-K-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 22 million words; the 141,699th 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 stickle?
Stickle appears about once in every 22 million words in written English, the 141,699th 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 stickle?
- UK /ˈstɪk(ə)l/
Stickle 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-stickle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stickle
- stickles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more stickle comparative
- most stickle superlative
- stickling participle, present
- stickled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stickle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sharp point; prickle; a spine
- 2
UKA shallow rapid in a river.
- 3
UKThe current below a waterfall.
adjective
- 1
Steep; high; inaccessible.
- 2
UKHigh, as the water of a river; swollen; sweeping; rapid.
verb
- 1
UKobsoleteTo act as referee or arbiter; to mediate.
- 2
UKarchaicTo argue or struggle for.
- 3
UKTo raise objections; to argue stubbornly, especially over minor or trivial matters.
- 4
UKobsoleteTo separate, as combatants; hence, to quiet, to appease, as disputants.
- 5
UKobsoleteTo intervene in; to stop, or put an end to, by intervening.
- 6
UKobsoleteTo separate combatants by intervening.
- 7
UKobsoleteTo contend, contest, or altercate, especially in a pertinacious manner on insufficient grounds.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does stickle come from?
From Middle English *stikel, *stykyl (in compounds), from Old English sticel (“a prickle, sting, goad”), from Proto-Germanic *stiklaz, *stikilaz (“sting, stinger, peak, cup, goblet”), related to the verb *stikaną (“to stick”). Cognate with Dutch stekel, Icelandic stikill, Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌺𐌻𐍃 (stikls) (whence Russian стекло́ (stekló, “glass”), Polish szkło (“glass”), Lithuanian sti̇̀klas, Romanian sticlă).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).