Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

chortle

/ˈt͡ʃɔɹtəl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.11 in modern English

Syllables: chor-tle
IPA: /ˈt͡ʃɔɹtəl/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A joyful, somewhat muffled laugh, rather like a snorting chuckle.

noun

A similar sounding vocalisation of various birds.

verb

To laugh with a chortle or chortles.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"He frequently interrupted himself with chortles while he told us his favorite joke."
"The old fellow chortled as he recalled his youthful adventures."
"'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy."

Etymology

Perhaps a blend of chuckle + snort. Coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, completed in 1855 but only introduced to the public in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈt͡ʃɔɹtəl/

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

chortles (plural) chortles (present, singular) chortling (participle, present) chortled (participle, past) chortled (past)

Derived Forms

chortler chortlingly snortle

Synonyms

chuckle laugh softly

Rhymes With

portal mortal immortal shortall bortle aortal vortal sportal

Questions

How do you pronounce chortle?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɔɹtəl/.
What does chortle mean?: A joyful, somewhat muffled laugh, rather like a snorting chuckle.
Where does chortle come from?: Perhaps a blend of chuckle + snort. Coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, completed in 1855 but only introduced to the public in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass.

How to pronounce chortle

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “chortle”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈt͡ʃɔɹtəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “chortle”.
Repeat and practice — Say “chortle” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.