Home › Glossary › Letter A

addle

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To confuse, muddle, or make senseless; also describes eggs or brains that have become rotten or spoiled, creating a metaphor for mental confusion.

Detailed Definition
Originally meaning “to make or become putrid,” “addle” evolved to signify mental confusion or foolishness. In poetry, it often describes a mind clouded by grief, love, or folly. Its brevity and sharp sound suit satirical or introspective verse, where it conveys internal disorder or moral decay. Though rare, its archaic flavor adds texture to characterizations of distraction or irrationality in Early Modern and Romantic works.
Example
Example in poetry:
"His wits are addled by grief," a line that might appear in a Jacobean tragedy; In folk poetry, a mother laments, "My poor child’s mind is all addled from fever"; Shakespeare uses "addle" metaphorically in King Lear: "His brain is addled with age and sorrow"; "Addled thoughts like scrambled eggs," quipped a satirical Restoration poet; The knight’s addled senses failed to discern friend from foe; Her addled heart could not choose between duty and desire.
Additional Notes
“Addle” originally meant “to make rotten” (from Old English “adela,” meaning “mud”), later shifting to mental confusion; in poetic usage, it often describes corrupted thought or moral decay, especially in satirical or allegorical works of the 17th century.
Also Known As
confuse muddle befuddle
Skip to main content