tingle
/ˈtɪŋɡəl/verb, noun
tingle is spelled T-I-N-G-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,504th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, tingle means “To feel a prickling or mildly stinging sensation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tingle?
| Letters | 6: T-I-N-G-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,504th 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 tingle?
Tingle appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,504th 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 tingle?
- /ˈtɪŋɡəl/
Tingle 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-tingle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tingle
- tingles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- tingling participle, present
- tingled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tingle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To feel a prickling or mildly stinging sensation.
My hands were tingling from the cold.
- 2
To feel an ASMR response.
I tingled
- 3
To cause to feel a prickling or mildly stinging sensation.
Tingle your tastebuds with these exotic dishes.
- 4
To cause to feel an ASMR response.
tingle someone
- 5
To ring; to tinkle or twang.
- 6
To cause to ring, to tinkle.
- 7
To fasten with a tingle; to tack.
- 8
To patch with a tingle; to cover a hole in something that requires it to be watertight.
- 9
To secure the middle of a guide line by means of a tingle.
noun
- 1
A prickling or mildly stinging sensation; frisson.
- 2
An ASMR response.
get/give tingles
- 3
A tingling sound; a chime or tinkle.
- 4
A nail of the very smallest size; a tack.
- 5
A patch that covers a hole in something that needs to be watertight, such as a roof or a boat.
- 6
An attachment in the middle of a long guide line to keep it from sagging.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tingle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | picoter , picotement |
| German | kribbeln, prickeln , Prickeln |
| Portuguese | formigar |
| Spanish | hormiguear , hormigueo, hormigueamiento |
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 tingle come from?
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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).