dwindle

/ˈdwɪn.dəl/

//ˈdwɪn.dəl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“dwindle” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,434. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,434
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or intensity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dwindle · dwindle · English

dwindle · rank #46,434 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #46,434
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Duquesne

Nearest frequency peer: Duquesne (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “dwindle”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “dwindle” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

dwindle vs dingle
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for dwindle
PropertyValue
Headworddwindle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdwɪn.dəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#46,434
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dwindle”

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).dwindlelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “Duquesne” (#46,433), “drugging” (#46,432), “Eckert” (#46,436). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dwindle” is #46,434. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around dwindle (IPA /ˈdwɪn.dəl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #46,434 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for dwindle, with forms such as "ddwindle", "diwndle", and "dwidnle". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "dingle", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Frequentative form of dwine, from Middle English dwinen, from Old English dwīnan (“to waste away”), from Proto-West Germanic *dwīnan, from Proto-Germanic *dwīnaną. It is equivalent to dwine + -le, akin to Old Norse dvena, dvína, Dutch verdwijnen (“to disapp… The correct English form is dwindle, spelled D-W-I-N-D-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or intensity.
  2. 2
    To fall away in quality; degenerate, sink.
  3. 3
    To lessen; to bring low.
  4. 4
    To break up or disperse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Their supplies began to dwindle after a week.
  2. Interest in the project slowly dwindled.

Etymology

Frequentative form of dwine, from Middle English dwinen, from Old English dwīnan (“to waste away”), from Proto-West Germanic *dwīnan, from Proto-Germanic *dwīnaną. It is equivalent to dwine + -le, akin to Old Norse dvena, dvína, Dutch verdwijnen (“to disappear, dwindle”).

This word in other languages

disminuir(Español)diminuer(Français)schwinden(Deutsch)decrescer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddwindle
  • diwndle
  • dwidnle
  • dwinddle
  • dwindel
  • dwindlle
  • dwinlde
  • dwinndle
  • dwnidle
  • dwwindle
  • wdindle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dwindle - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddwindle1diwndle2dwidnle2dwinddle1dwindel2dwindlle1dwinlde2dwinndle1
Edit distance from "dwindle"

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 "dwindle"?
"dwindle" is spelled D-W-I-N-D-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdwɪn.dəl/.
What does "dwindle" mean?
As a verb, "dwindle" means: To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or intensity.
What words are commonly confused with "dwindle"?
"dwindle" is commonly confused with "dingle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dwindle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dwindle" is /ˈdwɪn.dəl/. 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 "dwindle"?
Frequentative form of dwine, from Middle English dwinen, from Old English dwīnan (“to waste away”), from Proto-West Germanic *dwīnan, from Proto-Germanic *dwīnaną. It is equivalent to dwine + -le, akin to Old Norse dvena, dvína, Dutch verdwijnen (... 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 "dwindle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Erdoğan#46,448deflate#46,415eyesore#46,454Fogarty#46,467

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Duquesne11 variantsdrugging11 variantsdiuretic11 variantsdiazepam11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list