dangle
dan·gle/ˈdæŋ.ɡəl/verb, noun
dangle is spelled D-A-N-G-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (dan·gle). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, dangle means “To hang loosely with the ability to swing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in dangle?
| Letters | 6: D-A-N-G-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: dan·gle |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,974th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is dangle?
Dangle appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dangle?
- /ˈdæŋ.ɡəl/
- [ˈdæŋ.ɡl̩]
- /ˈdeɪ̯ŋ.ɡəl/
Dangle has 2 syllables, split dan·gle in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-dangle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of dangle
- dangles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- dangling participle, present
- dangled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dangle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To hang loosely with the ability to swing.
His feet are dangling in the water.
- 2
slangThe action of performing a move or deke with the puck in order to get past a defender or goalie; perhaps because of the resemblance to dangling the puck on a string.
He dangled around three players and the goalie to score.
- 3
To hang or trail something loosely.
I like to sit on the edge and dangle my feet in the water.
- 4
To put forth as a possibility.
- 5
datedTo trail or follow around.
- 6
Of a patient: to be positioned with the legs hanging over the edge of the bed.
- 7
To position (a patient) in this way.
noun
- 1
An agent of one intelligence agency or group who pretends to be interested in defecting or turning to another intelligence agency or group.
- 2
slangThe action of dangling; a series of complex stick tricks and fakes in order to defeat the defender in style.
That was a sick dangle for a great goal!
- 3
A dangling ornament or decoration.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dangle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pendre, pendouiller |
| German | baumeln , baumeln (mit), schlenkern (mit), baumeln lassen |
| Portuguese | pender, pendurar |
| Spanish | pender |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does dangle come from?
Uncertain, but likely of North Germanic origin, akin to Danish dingle, dangle, Swedish dangla (“to swing about”), Norwegian dangla, perhaps via North Frisian dangeln; all possibly related to Old Norse dengja (“to hit”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).