Chuckle: The Quietest Kind of Laugh
To chuckle is to laugh quietly, often to yourself. It sits between a smile and a laugh, and the word imitates the sound it names.
Chuckle names a soft, low laugh, usually private and usually about something mildly funny. English has a whole scale of laughing words and each is pinned to a sound: a chuckle is low in the throat, a giggle is high and nervous, a guffaw is loud enough to turn heads.
- To laugh quietly (verb). *He chuckled at the memory.*
- A quiet laugh (noun). *A low chuckle from the back of the room.*
- To be quietly pleased. *She was chuckling over her win.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | chuckle | They chuckled together. |
| Noun | chuckle | A dry chuckle. |
| Adjective | chuckling | A chuckling old man. |
| Related | chortle | He chortled with delight. |
| Related | titter | A nervous titter. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He chuckled to himself all the way home.To oneself is the most natural companion phrase.
- The line got a chuckle rather than a laugh.A modest, polite response — reviewers use this precisely.
- She chuckled at his expression.Chuckle at whatever caused it.
The English scale of laughter
- Titter — small, nervous, often embarrassed
- Giggle — light and high, hard to stop
- Chuckle — low, quiet, often to oneself
- Chortle — a pleased chuckle; coined by Lewis Carroll in 1871
- Guffaw — loud and sudden
- Cackle — harsh and high, and rarely friendly
From an older verb *chuck*, to make a clucking sound, with the *-le* ending that English uses for repeated small actions — the same ending as in sparkle, crackle and wriggle.
Chuckle or chortle?
Chortle is louder and more delighted. Carroll built it from chuckle and snort, and the blend still carries both.
Can you chuckle out loud?
Yes, but quietly. A loud one is a laugh, and a very loud one is a guffaw.