yodel

/ˈjəʊ.dəl/

//ˈjəʊ.dəl// verb

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

"yodel" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“yodel” is uncommon English (frequency #64,142 among 2,763 “Y” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,142
frequency rank, English
2,763
“Y” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To sing (a song) in such a way that the voice fluctuates rapidly between the normal chest voice and falsetto.

Key facts for yodel
PropertyValue
Headwordyodel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈjəʊ.dəl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#64,142
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “yodel” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). yodel lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

yodel is uncommon English at frequency #64,142 among 2,763 “Y” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈjəʊ.dəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To sing (a song) in such a way that the voice fluctuates rapidly between the normal chest voice and falsetto.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for yodel, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From German jodeln. The correct English form is yodel, spelled Y-O-D-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To sing (a song) in such a way that the voice fluctuates rapidly between the normal chest voice and falsetto.

Etymology

From German jodeln.

This word in other languages

iodler(Français)jodeln(Deutsch)

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 "yodel"?
"yodel" is spelled Y-O-D-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjəʊ.dəl/.
What does "yodel" mean?
As a verb, "yodel" means: To sing (a song) in such a way that the voice fluctuates rapidly between the normal chest voice and falsetto.
How do you pronounce "yodel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "yodel" is /ˈjəʊ.dəl/. 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 "yodel"?
From German jodeln. 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.

Using “yodel”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is Y-O-D-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈjəʊ.dəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list