What does chuckle mean?
Word: Chuckle
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Chuckle means to laugh quietly, often to yourself, because something is mildly funny.
Synonyms: giggle, chortle, laugh
How do you spell chuckle?
Syllables: chuck - le
Tricky part: The k sound after the short u is spelt -ck, as in luck and truck.
Watch out for: chukle, chukkle, chucle
Memory tip: Chuckle has the same -uck- as duck: picture a duck that chuckles at its own joke.
Chuckle in a sentence
Example 1: Dadaji chuckled as he read the comic strip in the newspaper.
Example 2: The class chuckled when the parrot repeated the teacher's words.
Example 3: She gave a little chuckle and passed me the last laddoo.
Fun Fact
Chuckle is related to an older English word, chuck, that was once used for the clucking sound of a hen.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) buckle
b) chuckel
c) tickle
d) pickle
Show answer
b) chuckel. Like buckle, tickle and pickle, chuckle ends in -le, so chuckel is the misspelt word.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
kehcluc
a) to breathe noisily while sleeping
b) to shake slightly because of cold or fear
c) to laugh quietly, often to yourself
d) to speak very softly so that others cannot hear
Show answer
c) to laugh quietly, often to yourself. Unjumbled, kehcluc gives chuckle, a quiet laugh.
Sound Check
Which of the following words rhymes with chuckle?
chuckle
a) knuckle
b) crackle
c) fickle
d) tackle
Show answer
a) knuckle. The k of knuckle is silent, so it ends with the same -uckle sound as chuckle.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) chuckle : chuckleing
b) tickle : tickling
c) juggle : juggling
d) wiggle : wiggling
Show answer
a) chuckle : chuckleing. Chuckle drops its final e before -ing, so it becomes chuckling, just as tickle becomes tickling.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would most likely make you chuckle?
a) A difficult sum
b) A sad film
c) A funny cartoon
d) A long queue
Show answer
c) A funny cartoon
2. Which of these is a laugh that is much louder than a chuckle?
a) a faint smile
b) a soft hum
c) a hearty guffaw
d) a low murmur
Show answer
c) a hearty guffaw
