dwindle

[…]

/[…]/ verb

The verdict

“dwindle” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - nach und nach weniger werden: abnehmen, schwinden, zurückgehen

Corpus desk

Index DE-dwindle · dwindle · German

dwindle · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for dwindle
PropertyValue
Headworddwindle
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[…]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „dwindle“ im Deutschen

dwindleliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dwindle is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed […]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

dwindle has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is dwindle, spelled D-W-I-N-D-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    nach und nach weniger werden: abnehmen, schwinden, zurückgehen
  2. 2
    etwas nach und nach weniger werden lassen: schwinden lassen, verringern, vermindern

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how dwindle appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. “As food supplies dwindle, and demand increases, food prices will rise: that is how markets work.”
  2. “John's behaviour led to rebellions by the Norman and Angevin barons that dwindled his control of the continental possessions.”

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dwindle"?
"dwindle" is spelled D-W-I-N-D-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is […].
What does "dwindle" mean?
As a verb, "dwindle" means: nach und nach weniger werden: abnehmen, schwinden, zurückgehen
How do you pronounce "dwindle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dwindle" is […]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dwindle" come from?
"dwindle" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list