wriggen

[ˈvʁɪɡn̩]

/[ˈvʁɪɡn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“wriggen” 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) - ein Boot dadurch fortbewegen, dass man ein Ruder/ein in eine Dolle eingelegten Riemen/ein Paddel am Heck achtförmig hin- und herbewegt

Corpus desk

Index DE-wriggen · wriggen · German

wriggen · 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 "W" 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 wriggen
PropertyValue
Headwordwriggen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈvʁɪɡn̩]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „wriggen“ im Deutschen

wriggenliegt 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

wriggen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈvʁɪɡn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "ein Boot dadurch fortbewegen, dass man ein Ruder/ein in eine Dolle eingelegten Riemen/ein Paddel am Heck achtförmig hin- und herbewegt".

wriggen has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is wriggen, spelled W-R-I-G-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein Boot dadurch fortbewegen, dass man ein Ruder/ein in eine Dolle eingelegten Riemen/ein Paddel am Heck achtförmig hin- und herbewegt

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Bei sehr wenig Wind schummeln die kleinen Segler der Optimisten, was das Zeug hält, und wriggen über die Startlinie, um einen kleinen Vorteil zu haben.
  2. „Beiboote werden fast immer gepullt und nur selten gewriggt.“

Synonyms

wrickenwriggeln

This word in other languages

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 "wriggen"?
"wriggen" is spelled W-R-I-G-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈvʁɪɡn̩].
What does "wriggen" mean?
As a verb, "wriggen" means: ein Boot dadurch fortbewegen, dass man ein Ruder/ein in eine Dolle eingelegten Riemen/ein Paddel am Heck achtförmig hin- und herbewegt
How do you pronounce "wriggen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wriggen" is [ˈvʁɪɡn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "wriggen" come from?
"wriggen" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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