tattletale
/ˈtætəlˌteɪl/adjective, noun, verb
tattletale is spelled T-A-T-T-L-E-T-A-L-E: 10 letters. It appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 107,757th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, tattletale means “telltale; giveaway” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tattletale?
| Letters | 10: T-A-T-T-L-E-T-A-L-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 13 million words; the 107,757th 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 tattletale?
Tattletale appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 107,757th 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 tattletale?
- US /ˈtætəlˌteɪl/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-tattletale.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tattletale
- tattletales plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tattletaling participle, present
- tattletaled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tattletale mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
telltale; giveaway
noun
- 1
colloquialOne who tattles (reports others' wrongdoings), often a child seeking attention.
- 2
colloquialOne who gossips, often for the sake of attention.
verb
- 1
colloquialTo act as a tattletale; to tell on; to give away, reveal, or expose.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tattletale in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | verräterisch , Petze, Verpetzer, Verpfeifer, Anschwärzer, Petzer |
| Portuguese | cabueta , alcaguete, delator, dedo-duro, queixinhas , fofoqueiro |
| French | cafteur, cafteuse , commère |
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 tattletale come from?
From tattle + tale.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).