tittle-tattle

IPA/ˈtɪtl tætl/
IPA/ˈtɪtl tætl/

tittle-tattle — noun

1. conversation or reports about other people that are often unkind, based on guess

1.nounB2
Definition

conversation or reports about other people that are often unkind, based on guesswork rather than facts, or simply false.

Example

The office was full of tittle-tattle about who would be promoted next.

collocation: full of tittle-tattle

Amina's story was just tittle-tattle with no evidence to back it up.

Common collocations
  • full of tittle-tattle
  • tittle-tattle about
  • spread tittle-tattle
  • idle tittle-tattle
  • mere tittle-tattle
  • hotspot for tittle-tattle
Synonyms
  • gossip

    the most common synonym; neutral-to-negative in tone, used in everyday speech

  • hearsay

    focuses on lack of direct evidence; more formal than tittle-tattle

  • chatter

    can be neutral (just talk), whereas tittle-tattle implies unkind or unreliable content

  • prattle

    emphasises childish or meaningless quality; less common in modern use

Antonyms
  • fact

    information supported by evidence

  • truth

    what actually happened, opposed to invented stories

Grammar Patterns

tittle-tattle about [someone/something]

Usage Note

Uncountable noun — no plural form (✗ tittle-tattles). Often carries a slightly dismissive or mocking tone: the speaker suggests the talk is trivial and unreliable. Common in phrases like 'idle tittle-tattle' or 'mere tittle-tattle'.

Common Mistakes

I heard some tittle-tattles about them.
I heard some tittle-tattle about them.
tittle-tattle is uncountable and has no plural form.
Stop tittle-tattling in the hallway.
Stop the tittle-tattle in the hallway.
tittle-tattle is a noun, not a verb; the verb form is simply 'tattle'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to talk, but they differ in reliability, formality, and intent. Gossip is the broadest and most neutral term — it can cover friendly chat or malicious rumour ('office gossip'). Hearsay is narrower and more formal, emphasising that the information is second-hand and legally unreliable ('that's just hearsay'). Chatter focuses on the sound and frequency of talk rather than its truth ('idle chatter at the coffee machine'). Prattle is the most dismissive, implying childish or meaningless babble ('enough of this prattle'). Tittle-tattle sits closest to gossip but adds a sharper dismissive edge: the speaker treats the talk as both trivial and potentially unkind.

gossip ↗hearsay ↗chatter ↗prattle

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • full of tittle-tattle
  • spread tittle-tattle
  • a hotbed of tittle-tattle
  • mere tittle-tattle

Prepositions

Etymology

Dutch / Low GermanEnglish

Tittle-tattle is a reduplicative word formed by repeating and varying the sound of 'tattle' (to chatter or gossip). 'Tattle' itself probably comes from early modern Dutch or Low German 'tatelen' (to prattle), with the imitative 'ta-ta-ta' sound of rapid, careless speech. The reduplicated form tittle-tattle appears in English from the late 16th century, reinforcing the dismissive, playful tone of the word.

First known use

1529

1529, in the meaning defined above