crinkle
/ˈkɹɪŋkəl/
"crinkle" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“crinkle” is uncommon English (frequency #65,024 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #65,024
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To fold, crease, crumple, or wad.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | crinkle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈkɹɪŋkəl/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #65,024 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “crinkle” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
crinkle is uncommon English at frequency #65,024 among 43,570 “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
- 1To fold, crease, crumple, or wad.
- 2To rustle, as stiff cloth when moved.
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
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"?
What does "crinkle" mean?
How do you pronounce "crinkle"?
What is the origin of the word "crinkle"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “crinkle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-R-I-N-K-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɹɪŋkəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.