titter
/ˈtɪtɚ/verb, noun
titter is spelled T-I-T-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 111,684th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, titter means “To laugh or giggle in a somewhat subdued or restrained way, as from nervousness or poorly-suppressed amusement” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in titter?
| Letters | 6: T-I-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 14 million words; the 111,684th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is titter?
Titter appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 111,684th 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 titter?
- UK /ˈtɪtə(ɹ)/
- US /ˈtɪtɚ/
- US [ˈtɪɾɚ]
Titter 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: En-au-titter.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with titter?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as titter from its last stressed vowel (/ɪtəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of titter
- titters present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- tittering participle, present
- tittered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does titter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To laugh or giggle in a somewhat subdued or restrained way, as from nervousness or poorly-suppressed amusement.
- 2
obsoleteTo teeter; to seesaw.
noun
- 1
A nervous or somewhat repressed giggle.
April 21, 1811, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Table Talk There was a titter of […] delight on his countenance.
- 2
slangvulgarA woman's breast.
- 3
obsoleteslangA girl or young woman.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Titter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ricaner , ricanement |
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 titter come from?
First attested in the 1610s. Probably from Middle English *titeren, *titren (attested in Middle English titering (“hesitation, vacillation”)), probably a frequentative of Middle English titten (“to waver”), ultimately of imitative origin. Related to Old Norse titra (“to shake, shiver, quiver”) (if not borrowed from it), dialectal Swedish tittra (“to snicker”). Compare also Proto-Germanic *titrōną (“to tremble”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).