To cackle means to laugh in a sharp, harsh way that sounds a bit like a hen's clucking. It's not a gentle giggle or a warm chuckle: a cackle is loud, abrupt, and can sound slightly mean or mischievous. Think of the witch in The Wizard of Oz when she laughs at Dorothy. That distinctive, piercing laugh is a classic cackle.

You might hear someone cackle when they've just played a successful prank, or when they find something wickedly funny. A group of friends might cackle together over an inside joke. The word captures both the sound (harsh and staccato) and the feeling (a bit wild or uninhibited).

While cackling often appears in stories about witches and villains, regular people cackle too. Your aunt might cackle at her own jokes, or your classmate might let out a cackle when something unexpected happens in a game. The word suggests the laughter is uninhibited and maybe a little bit chaotic, but not necessarily evil. It's just louder and rougher around the edges than most laughter.