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PlainSpell

turtle

/ˈtɝtl̩/noun, verb

turtle is spelled T-U-R-T-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 8.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,146th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, turtle means “Any land, aquatic, or semi-aquatic reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of turtle is turtles.

How many letters and syllables are in turtle?

Letters6: T-U-R-T-L-E
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing8.1 times per million words; the 8,146th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 turtle?

Turtle appears 8.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,146th 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 turtle?

  • UK /ˈtɜːtl̩/
  • US /ˈtɝtl̩/
  • US [ˈtʰɝɾɫ̩]

Turtle 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-us-turtle.ogg, En-au-turtle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with turtle?

2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as turtle from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹtl/):

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 turtle

  • turtles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • turtling participle, present
  • turtled participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does turtle mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    CanadaUSAny land, aquatic, or semi-aquatic reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise.

  2. 2

    AustraliaCanadaUKUSA marine reptile of that order.

  3. 3

    Senses resembling a turtle in protection

  4. 4

    An Ancient Roman attack method, where the shields held by the soldiers hide them, not only left, right, front and back, but also from above.

  5. 5

    A type of robot having a domed case (and so resembling the reptile), used in education, especially for making line drawings by means of a computer program.

  6. 6

    An on-screen cursor that serves the same function as a turtle for drawing.

  7. 7

    A breakdancing move consisting of a float during which the dancer's weight shifts from one hand to the other, producing rotation or a circular "walk".

  8. 8

    A position reminiscent of a turtle.

  9. 9

    A turtle-neck garment.

  10. 10

    archaicA turtle dove.

verb

  1. 1

    To flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside down.

    Were speeding when car turtled […] Auto crashed into curb and turtled.

  2. 2

    To turn and swim upside down.

  3. 3

    To capsize, turning fully over.

  4. 4

    To fall with one arm behind a rope, forcing the climber to dangle on their back, leaving them helpless.

  5. 5

    To move along slowly.

  6. 6

    To hunt turtles, especially in the water.

  7. 7

    To build up a large defense force and strike only occasionally, rather than going for an offensive strategy.

  8. 8

    slangEllipsis of turtle head (“to struggle to hold back an imminent bowel movement”).

noun

as Turtle
  1. 1

    A member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles, a drinking club.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Turtle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchtortue (land or marine reptile with a shell), tortue de mer (sea turtle), capoter, se renverser, faire un tonneau (flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside…), chasser (hunt turtles)
GermanSchildkröte (land or marine reptile with a shell)
Portuguesetartaruga (land or marine reptile with a shell), tartaruga marinha (sea turtle)
Spanishtortuga, quelonio (land or marine reptile with a shell), volcar, dar una vuelta de campana (flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside…)

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 turtle come from?

Modification of Middle English tortou, tortu, from Old French tortüe (under the influence of Middle English turtel, turtur (“turtledove”), see Etymology 2 below), from Old Occitan tortuga (compare Spanish tortuga), the same source of tortoise (see there for more). Displaced native Old English byrdling (See birdling).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after turtle