bungle

/ˈbʌŋɡ(ə)l/

//ˈbʌŋɡ(ə)l// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"bungle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bungle” is uncommon English (frequency #58,571 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,571
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To incompetently perform (a task); to ruin (something) through incompetent action; to botch up, to bumble.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bungle · bungle · English

bungle · rank #58,571 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,571
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bushwick

Nearest frequency peer: Bushwick (+2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Long-tail ranks near “bungle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “bungle” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bungle
PropertyValue
Headwordbungle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈbʌŋɡ(ə)l/
Letters6
Frequency rank#58,571
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bungle” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).bunglefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Bushwick” (#58,573), “Bynes” (#58,575), “buccaneer” (#58,566). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bungle” is #58,571. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bungle is uncommon English at frequency #58,571 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈbʌŋɡ(ə)l/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for bungle in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is either: * onomatopoeic in origin (compare bumble (“to act in an inept, clumsy or inexpert manner; to make mistakes”), fumble (“to grope awkwardly in trying to find something; to blunder uncertainly”)); or * from Ol… The correct English form is bungle, spelled B-U-N-G-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To incompetently perform (a task); to ruin (something) through incompetent action; to botch up, to bumble.
  2. 2
    To act or work incompetently; to fumble.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I always had an idea that it would be bungled; but was willing to hope, and am still so. Whatever I can do by money, means, or person, I will venture freely for their freedom; and have so repeated to them (some of the Chiefs here) half an hour ago.
  2. […] talking in voices that, almost without exception, sounded collegiately dogmatic, as though each young man, in his strident, conversational turn, was clearing up, once and for all, some highly controversial issue, one that the outside, non-matriculating world had been bungling, provocatively or not, for centuries.

Etymology

The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is either: * onomatopoeic in origin (compare bumble (“to act in an inept, clumsy or inexpert manner; to make mistakes”), fumble (“to grope awkwardly in trying to find something; to blunder uncertainly”)); or * from Old Norse; compare Old Swedish bunga (“to strike”), and dialectal Swedish bangla (“to work ineffectually”). The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * German Bengel (“cudgel; rude fellow”) * Middle High German bungen (“to hammer”)

This word in other languages

rater(Français)vergeigen(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bungle"?
"bungle" is spelled B-U-N-G-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʌŋɡ(ə)l/.
What does "bungle" mean?
As a verb, "bungle" means: To incompetently perform (a task); to ruin (something) through incompetent action; to botch up, to bumble.
How do you pronounce "bungle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bungle" is /ˈbʌŋɡ(ə)l/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "bungle"?
The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is either: * onomatopoeic in origin (compare bumble (“to act in an inept, clumsy or inexpert manner; to make mistakes”), fumble (“to grope awkwardly in trying to find something; to blunder uncertainly”)); or... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bungle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cachet#58,576cackle#58,577broods#58,564Bonney#58,558

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list