Puddle is a small, shallow pool of water, typically formed on the ground after rain. As a noun, it denotes a contained, wet patch, often slippery and reflecting light. In everyday speech, it can also refer to a small, indistinct area of liquid or mud. The word conveys a casual, tangible image of weather-created water on surfaces.
"Children jumped in puddles after the rain, splashing merrily."
"We spotted a muddy puddle near the park bench and skirted around it."
"Her boots left damp footprints as she stepped away from the puddle."
"The street was slick with rain and every pothole held a tiny puddle."
Puddle comes from the Middle English puddelen, related to puddock ‘a small puddle or pool’ and dialectal forms in Old English. The root is Germanic, with cognates in Dutch and German that refer to moisture and lumps. In Middle English, puddle described a small, shallow body of water and often extended to muddy patches. By the Early Modern English period, puddle stabilized as the common term for a shallow pool of liquid resting on a surface, typically after rain. The word’s evolution shows a shift from a literal water feature to a more general term for small, damp patches on ground or clothing. First known use is documented in medieval texts where “puddle” described a little pool of standing water on streets or fields after rain, often with connotations of mud and slipperiness. Over centuries, its semantic scope narrowed to the everyday modern sense: a small, shallow water accumulation, especially on pavements and roads. In contemporary usage, puddle also appears metaphorically in phrases expressing confusion or muddiness of ideas, echoing the word’s tactile, liquid imagery.
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Help others use "Puddle" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "Puddle" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Puddle" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Puddle"
-dle sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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US: /ˈpə.dəl/ (stress on first syllable, rhymes with ‘cuddle’). UK: /ˈpʌ.dəl/ with a short /ʌ/ in the first syllable. AU: /ˈpəː.dəl/ where the first vowel is longer, closer to /əː/. In careful speech, enunciate both syllables clearly: PUD-dle with a light, quick D and a soft L. Audio reference: you can compare with ‘cuddle’ or use Forvo entries for ‘puddle’ in each variety.
Mistake 1: Reducing the first syllable too much so it sounds like ‘pu-dle’ with a weak /ə/. Correction: keep a clear /ə/ (US) or /ʌ/ (UK) at the stressed syllable. Mistake 2: Hardening the final /l/ to a dark, heavy L or adding an extra vowel (pud-dle). Correction: end with a light, quick /l/ and avoid an overt vowel after it. Mistake 3: Blending /d/ and /l/ into a single sound in rapid speech. Correction: maintain distinct /d/ and /l/ articulations; practice with slower pace.
US speakers typically use /ˈpə.dəl/ with a mid-central vowel in the first syllable. UK speakers often say /ˈpʌ.dəl/ with a short /ʌ/; rhoticity is present in most American varieties but generally not in UK non-rhotic accents, so the /r/ is absent in puddle. Australian vowels lean toward /ˈpəː.dəl/ with a slightly longer first vowel. In polite listening, keep /d/ and /l/ distinct; avoid converting to a single syllable or adding extra vowels. IPA references: US /ˈpə.dəl/ and UK /ˈpʌ.dəl/, AU /ˈpəː.dəl/.
Two main challenges: a clear, brief, unstressed second syllable with /əl/ and maintaining a light, continuous /l/ without vocalizing a vowel afterwards. The first syllable contains a reduced vowel, which can shift with rhythm. The /d/ must be clearly separate from /l/, not blended. In rapid speech, many speakers merge /ə/ into a schwa or reduce the whole word to a muddled sound. Focus on subject-verb phrase boundaries and practice with minimal pairs that contrast /ə/ vs /ʌ/.
Yes—contrast between /d/ and /l/ is a key feature: you should articulate a crisp /d/ with the tongue tip against the alveolar ridge, then release into a light /l/ with the tip touching the alveolar ridge and the blade of the tongue lowered for a clear air passage. This yields “PUD-dle” without adding extra vowels. Also, the first stressed syllable must be clearly audible in all accents, setting up the rhythm for the rest of the word.
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