Pronunciation: [bɹˈɪsə͡ld] (IPA) 
The word "bristled" is spelled with two consonants that represent a single sound - "st". The "s" and "t" are pronounced together so the word is phonetically transcribed as /ˈbrɪsld/. The "i" is pronounced as a short vowel sound, while the "e" at the end of the word is silent. "Bristled" refers to something that has become stiff and prickly, like the hair on a dog's back when it is aroused or angry.
Bristled is an adjective that describes the state or appearance of something that is covered in bristles. Bristles are stiff, coarse, and often short hairs or fibers that protrude from a surface. They are typically found on certain animals or plants as a means of protection, defense, or locomotion.
When an object or surface is said to be bristled, it means that it is densely covered in bristles. For example, a brush with hard bristles has a bristled surface, while the back of a porcupine is covered in bristled quills. The bristles themselves can be stiff and erect, indicating that they are standing up straight, or they can be flexible and bent.
The term bristled can also be used metaphorically to describe a person's emotional or physical response. When someone becomes bristled, it means they have become tense, defensive, or irritated. In this sense, the term is often used to describe a reaction to a provocation or a feeling of being threatened.
Overall, bristled conveys the idea of a surface covered in stiff and often sharp hairs or fibers, or signifies a reaction of tension and defensiveness in oneself or others.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "bristled" is derived from the noun "bristle", which originated from the Old English word "byrst" or "brystl". This Old English term has Germanic roots and can be traced back to the Old High German word "borst", meaning "bristle", or the Old Norse word "burst", also meaning "bristle". Ultimately, the word can be linked to the Proto-Germanic word "bursto", which had the same meaning. The term "bristle" refers to the stiff hairs or short, stiff, prickly fibers found on the body of certain animals, like porcupines or hedgehogs, and its verb form "bristled" describes the action of the bristles standing on end, typically due to fear, aggression, or excitement.
