Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tousle

/ˈtaʊ.zəl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.47 in modern English

Syllables: tou-sle
IPA: /ˈtaʊ.zəl/

6

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To put into disorder; to tumble; to touse; to muss.

noun

The action of ruffling or setting in disorder.

Example Sentences

"Cassie reached over and gave Sammy's dark hair a tousle."

Etymology

From Middle English touselen, equivalent to touse + -le. Cognate with German Low German tuseln, Bavarian zusseln, züsseln.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: touselen
Suffix: touse

Inflected Forms

tousles (present, singular) tousling (participle, present) tousled (participle, past) tousled (past) touzle (alternative) toozle (alternative) towsle (alternative) towzle (alternative) tussle (alternative) tossle (alternative) tousles (plural)

Derived Forms

retousle touslement tousler tously untousle

Phrases

tousle-haired tousle-headed

Synonyms

dishevel tangle

Rhymes With

arousal spousal mousehole espousal housel carousal

Questions

How do you pronounce tousle?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtaʊ.zəl/.
What does tousle mean?: To put into disorder; to tumble; to touse; to muss.
Where does tousle come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce tousle

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