tingle

/ˈtɪŋɡəl/

//ˈtɪŋɡəl// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"tingle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tingle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,724. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,724
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To feel a prickling or mildly stinging sensation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tingle · tingle · English

tingle · rank #34,724 · 9 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,724
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tiling

Nearest frequency peer: tiling (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tingle”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tingle” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tingle vs title
67% similar
tingle vs tongue
67% similar
tingle vs toggle
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

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 seat of misspelling magnet “tingle”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tinglelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “tiling” (#34,723), “townspeople” (#34,725), “Transvaal” (#34,726). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tingle” is #34,724. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around tingle (IPA /ˈtɪŋɡəl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #34,724 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for tingle, with forms such as "itngle", "tignle", and "tingel". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, 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… The correct English form is tingle, spelled T-I-N-G-L-E.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how tingle appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. My hands were tingling from the cold.
  2. I got hit in the butt yesterday, and it still tingles.

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

itchtinkle

This word in other languages

picoter(Français)kribbeln(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • itngle
  • tignle
  • tingel
  • tinggle
  • tinglle
  • tinlge
  • tinngle
  • tnigle
  • ttingle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tingle - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

itngle2tignle2tingel2tinggle1tinglle1tinlge2tinngle1tnigle2
Edit distance from "tingle"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "tingle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tiling#34,723Tricia#34,728trippy#34,729tryout#34,730

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Unicode9 variantswanton9 variantsYasmin9 variantsSaitama9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list