Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dapple

[ˈdæpəɫ]

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.87 in modern English

Syllables
dap-ple
IPA
[ˈdæpəɫ]
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A mottled marking, usually in clusters.

noun

An animal with a mottled or spotted skin or coat.

adj

Having a mottled or spotted skin or coat, dappled.

verb

To mark or become marked with mottling or spots.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Uncertain. The adjective is first attested circa 1550 though the first element is already attested in dapple-grey as early as 1386, in Middle English, and later as dappled circa 1400; the OED suggests either: * a back-formation from dapple-grey, itself a variant of apple-grey, compare possible cognates all said of horses: Old Norse apalgrár (whence Norwegian abildgrå and Swedish apel-grå), German apfelgrau. Compare also French pommelé (“dappled”), from pomme (“an apple”); or, * a relation with Icelandic depill (“a dot, spot”). The noun and verb are both later attested likely as back-formations.

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: [ˈdæpəɫ]

Inflected Forms

dapples (plural) more dapple (comparative) most dapple (superlative) dapples (present, singular) dappling (participle, present) dappled (participle, past) dappled (past)

Phrases

dapple-gray dapple-throat

Synonyms

spot speckle patch fleck maculation mottle cloud

Rhymes With

apple chapel grapple scrapple thrapple scapple strapple wraple papple

Questions

How do you pronounce dapple?
The recorded pronunciation is [ˈdæpəɫ].
What does dapple mean?
A mottled marking, usually in clusters.
Where does dapple come from?
Uncertain. The adjective is first attested circa 1550 though the first element is already attested in dapple-grey as early as 1386, in Middle English, and later as dappled circa 1400; the OED suggests either: * a back-formation from dapple-grey, itself a variant of apple-grey, compare possible cognates all said of horses: Old Norse apalgrár (whence Norwegian abildgrå and Swedish apel-grå), German apfelgrau. Compare also French pommelé (“dappled”), from pomme (“an apple”); or, * a relation with Icelandic depill (“a dot, spot”). The noun and verb are both later attested likely as back-formations.

How to pronounce dapple

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dapple”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling ([ˈdæpəɫ]) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “dapple”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “dapple” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.