-le
/əl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.50 in modern English
2
Scrabble Score
2
Letters
2
Syllables
2
Unique Chars
Meaning
suffix
A frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating repetition or continuousness
suffix
Forming adjectives from verbs with the meaning of "prone to", "tending to", "apt to", "capable of"; compare -ative
suffix
Forming diminutives from other nouns.
suffix
Forming agent nouns from verbs
Example Sentences
- "assle, buzzle, crackle, cuddle, dazzle, draggle, drawl, dribble, drizzle, fumble, gamble, grapple, handle, jostle, kissle, maddle, mingle, nestle, nuzzle, prattle, quibble, ramble, rattle, ripple, scribble, sile, sizzle, sniffle, snuggle, startle, stopple, suckle, tattle, tickle, topple, waggle, whemmle, wiggle, wrestle"
- "battle, breakle, brittle, fickle, forgettle, little, newfangle, nimble, wankle"
- "dump + -le → dimple"
- "dung + -le → dingle"
- "hatch + -le → hatchel"
- "hose + -le → hosel"
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *-lōną Old English -lian Middle English -len English -le From Middle English -len, -elen, from Old English -lian (frequentative verbal suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-lōn, from Proto-Germanic *-lōną (frequentative verbal suffix). Cognate with West Frisian -elje, Dutch -elen, German -eln, Danish -le, Norwegian Bokmål -le, Norwegian Nynorsk -la, Swedish -la, Icelandic -la. Compare -er.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Terms unsorted by etymology: