crinkle

/ˈkɹɪŋkəl/

//ˈkɹɪŋkəl// verb

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

"crinkle" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crinkle” is uncommon English (frequency #65,024 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,024
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To fold, crease, crumple, or wad.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crinkle · crinkle · English

crinkle · rank #65,024 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,024
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crimped

Nearest frequency peer: crimped (-1 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 “crinkle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for crinkle
PropertyValue
Headwordcrinkle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈkɹɪŋkəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#65,024
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “crinkle” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).crinklefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “crimped” (#65,023), “Crean” (#65,022), “cropland” (#65,026). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crinkle” is #65,024. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

crinkle is uncommon English at frequency #65,024 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈkɹɪŋkəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

crinkle doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English crenclen (“to bend, buckle”), from Old English *crinclian, frequentative form of Old English crincan (“to yield”), from Proto-Germanic *kringaną (“to turn, to fall, to yield”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, wind”). Cognate wi… The correct English form is crinkle, spelled C-R-I-N-K-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To fold, crease, crumple, or wad.
  2. 2
    To rustle, as stiff cloth when moved.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He crinkled the wrapper and threw it out.
  2. The old man's lined face crinkled into a smile.

Etymology

From Middle English crenclen (“to bend, buckle”), from Old English *crinclian, frequentative form of Old English crincan (“to yield”), from Proto-Germanic *kringaną (“to turn, to fall, to yield”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, wind”). Cognate with North Frisian krenge, krönge (“to obtain, reach, attain”), Dutch krinkelen (“to turn, wind”). Related to cringe.

This word in other languages

froisser(Français)knittern(Deutsch)dobrar(Português)

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 "crinkle"?
"crinkle" is spelled C-R-I-N-K-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹɪŋkəl/.
What does "crinkle" mean?
As a verb, "crinkle" means: To fold, crease, crumple, or wad.
How do you pronounce "crinkle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crinkle" is /ˈkɹɪŋkəl/. 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 "crinkle"?
From Middle English crenclen (“to bend, buckle”), from Old English *crinclian, frequentative form of Old English crincan (“to yield”), from Proto-Germanic *kringaną (“to turn, to fall, to yield”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, wind”). ... 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 "crinkle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

crimped#65,023crappie#65,021crumple#65,027cutlets#65,029

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list