speckle

1 of 2

noun

speck·​le ˈspe-kəl 

: a little speck (as of color)

speckle

2 of 2

verb

speckled; speckling ˈspe-k(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to mark with speckles

2

: to be distributed in or on like speckles

Synonyms

Noun

• fleck
• speck
• dot
• blotch
• patch

Verb

• sprinkle
• dot
• stain
• pepper
• fleck
• dye
• speck

Examples of speckle in a Sentence

Noun

a ripe banana with lots of brown speckles

the cat has a speckle of orange right at her whiskers

Verb

speckled the cookies with colored sugar

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The blanket, wrapped tightly around a baby, and its flourishes of red embroidery looking eerily like speckles of blood. —Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 24 Sep. 2025

Were it found on Earth instead of Mars, the rock’s speckles would likely be interpreted as evidence for a microbial feeding frenzy that occurred long ago. —Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2025

Verb

Swathes of social media stars, including sessions with Twitch streamers, sports influencers and heads of digital media studios, speckled the lineup with talks on how to do creator content right. —Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025

Created by James Beard Award winner and Bottega’s former pastry chef, Dolester Miles, the cake itself is speckled with ground pecans, which add texture and sweetness, which are brushed with simple syrup. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English; akin to Old English specca

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing speckle

• speckle interferometry

Rhymes for speckle

• decal
• freckle
• meckel
• shekel
• thecal

Kids Definition

speckle

1 of 2 noun

speck·​le ˈspek-əl 

: a small mark (as of color)

speckle

2 of 2 verb

speckled; speckling ˈspek-(ə-)liŋ 

: to mark with speckles