ticklish
/ˈtɪk(ə)lɪʃ/adjective
ticklish is spelled T-I-C-K-L-I-S-H: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ticklish means “Sensitive or susceptible to being tickled” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ticklish?
| Letters | 8: T-I-C-K-L-I-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,947th 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 ticklish?
Ticklish appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th 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 ticklish?
- UK /ˈtɪk(ə)lɪʃ/
Ticklish has 3 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-ticklish.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ticklish
- more ticklish comparative
- most ticklish superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ticklish mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Sensitive or susceptible to being tickled.
She is ticklish only on her tummy and the bottoms of her feet.
- 2
Touchy, sensitive, or delicate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ticklish in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chatouilleux |
| German | kitzlig, kitzelig , brenzlig, heikel |
| Portuguese | coceguento, cosquento |
| Spanish | cosquilloso |
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 ticklish come from?
From tickle + -ish.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).