Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [rid-l]
- /ˈrɪd l/
- /ˈrɪd.l̩/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [rid-l]
- /ˈrɪd l/
Definitions of riddle word
- noun riddle a coarse sieve, as one for sifting sand in a foundry. 1
- verb without object riddle to propound riddles; speak enigmatically. 1
- verb with object riddle to pierce with many holes, suggesting those of a sieve: to riddle the target. 1
- verb with object riddle to fill or affect with (something undesirable, weakening, etc.): a government riddled with graft. 1
- verb with object riddle to impair or refute completely by persistent verbal attacks: to riddle a person's reputation. 1
- verb with object riddle to sift through a riddle, as gravel; screen. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of riddle
First appearance:
before 1000 One of the 6% oldest English words
before 1000; Middle English redel, redels (noun), Old English rǣdels(e) counsel, opinion, imagination, riddle (rǣd(an) to counsel, rede + -els(e) deverbal noun suffix) with loss of -s- in ME through confusion with the plural form of the noun suffix -el -le (cf. burial); cognate with German Rätsel, Dutch raadsel
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Riddle
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
riddle popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 94% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
riddle usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for riddle
noun riddle
- abstruseness — hard to understand; recondite; esoteric: abstruse theories.
- brain teaser — A brain teaser is a question, problem, or puzzle that is difficult to answer or solve, but is not serious or important.
- brain-teaser — a puzzle or problem whose solution requires great ingenuity.
- brainteaser — an intellectually challenging puzzle, problem, game, etc.
- cliff-hanger — a melodramatic or adventure serial in which each installment ends in suspense in order to interest the reader or viewer in the next installment.
verb riddle
- bore — If someone or something bores you, you find them dull and uninteresting.
- button down — (of a shirt collar) having buttonholes so it can be buttoned to the body of the shirt.
- catalogued — a list or record, as of items for sale or courses at a university, systematically arranged and often including descriptive material: a stamp catalog.
- cataloguing — a list or record, as of items for sale or courses at a university, systematically arranged and often including descriptive material: a stamp catalog.
- draw off — to cause to move in a particular direction by or as if by a pulling force; pull; drag (often followed by along, away, in, out, or off).
Top questions with riddle
- what is a riddle?
- what is black when you buy it riddle?
- what is it that no man ever saw riddle?
- what goes on four legs in the morning riddle?
- who played tom riddle?
- what is greater than god riddle answer?
- how to write a riddle?
- how to solve einstein's riddle?
- how to beat riddle school 5?
- what am i riddle cheats?
- what am i riddle answers?
- what am i riddle?
- how to make a riddle?
- what house was tom riddle in?
- who has the hat riddle?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with r
- Words starting with ri
- Words starting with rid
- Words starting with ridd
- Words starting with riddl
- Words starting with riddle