English Word Reference Free

tingle

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "tingle", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "tingle" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "tingle" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

tingle is aEnglishverb. It means: To feel a prickling or mildly stinging sensation. Pronounced /ˈtɪŋɡəl/. Often confused with title and tongue.

Key facts for tingle
PropertyValue
Headwordtingle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈtɪŋɡəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#34,724
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of tingle in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for tingle is 6 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtɪŋɡəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,724 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for tingle, with forms such as "itngle", "tignle", and "tingel". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "title", "tongue", "toggle", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tinglen, of uncertain origin. Possibly from Middle English tingen (“to tink”) + -len, equivalent to ting + -le. Alternatively, possibly a variant of Middle English tinclen (“to tinkle”) or from Old English tinclian (“to tickle”). More at… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is tingle, spelled T-I-N-G-L-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To feel a prickling or mildly stinging sensation.
  2. 2
    To cause to feel a prickling or mildly stinging sensation.
  3. 3
    To ring; to tinkle or twang.
  4. 4
    To cause to ring, to tinkle.

Etymology

From Middle English tinglen, of uncertain origin. Possibly from Middle English tingen (“to tink”) + -len, equivalent to ting + -le. Alternatively, possibly a variant of Middle English tinclen (“to tinkle”) or from Old English tinclian (“to tickle”). More at tinkle. Compare also West Frisian tingelje (“to tinkle”), Dutch tingelen (“to tinkle, jingle”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: itngle,tignle,tingel,tinggle,tinglle,tinlge,tinngle,tnigle,ttingle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for tingle

Misspelling Variants of "tingle"

itngle6tignle6tingel6tinggle7tinglle7tinlge6tinngle7tnigle6
Misspelling Variants of "tingle"

Frequency rank: #34,724 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tingle"?
"tingle" is spelled T-I-N-G-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɪŋɡəl/.
What does "tingle" mean?
As a verb, "tingle" means: To feel a prickling or mildly stinging sensation.
What words are commonly confused with "tingle"?
"tingle" is commonly confused with "title", "tongue", "toggle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tingle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tingle" is /ˈtɪŋɡəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "tingle"?
From Middle English tinglen, of uncertain origin. Possibly from Middle English tingen (“to tink”) + -len, equivalent to ting + -le. Alternatively, possibly a variant of Middle English tinclen (“to tinkle”) or from Old English tinclian (“to tickle”... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter T in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.