# bungle

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈbʌŋɡ(ə)l/ · frequency rank #58,571

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

## 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”)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bungle