engulf

/ɪŋˈɡʌlf/

//ɪŋˈɡʌlf// verb

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

"engulf" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“engulf” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,623. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,623
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To overwhelm.

Corpus desk

Index EN-engulf · engulf · English

engulf · rank #43,623 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,623
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH endoscopic

Nearest frequency peer: endoscopic (-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 “engulf”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “engulf” 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).

engulf vs engle
67% similar
engulf vs Engels
50% similar

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

Key facts for engulf
PropertyValue
Headwordengulf
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪŋˈɡʌlf/
Letters6
Frequency rank#43,623
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “engulf”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).engulflands 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 “endoscopic” (#43,622), “Elmira” (#43,621), “Elbert” (#43,620). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “engulf” is #43,623. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around engulf (IPA /ɪŋˈɡʌlf/), averb. Corpus frequency is #43,623 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for engulf, with forms such as "egnulf", "enggulf", and "engluf". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "engle", "Engels", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From en- + gulf. The correct English form is engulf, spelled E-N-G-U-L-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    To overwhelm.
  2. 2
    To surround; to cover; to submerge.
  3. 3
    To cast into a gulf.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Depression engulfed her after her daughter's death.
  2. Shaken by the biggest challenge to their authority in years, Brazil’s leaders made conciliatory gestures on Tuesday to try to defuse the protests engulfing the nation’s cities.

Etymology

From en- + gulf.

This word in other languages

envolver(Español)submerger(Français)überwältigen(Deutsch)engolir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • egnulf
  • enggulf
  • engluf
  • engufl
  • engulff
  • engullf
  • enngulf
  • enuglf
  • negulf

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

egnulf2enggulf1engluf2engufl2engulff1engullf1enngulf1enuglf2
Edit distance from "engulf"

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 "engulf"?
"engulf" is spelled E-N-G-U-L-F. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪŋˈɡʌlf/.
What does "engulf" mean?
As a verb, "engulf" means: To overwhelm.
What words are commonly confused with "engulf"?
"engulf" is commonly confused with "engle", "Engels". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "engulf"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "engulf" is /ɪŋˈɡʌlf/. 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 "engulf"?
From en- + gulf. 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 "engulf", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Elmira#43,621Elbert#43,620Epping#43,627Franca#43,653

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

butting9 variantsHowells9 variantsBoleyn9 variantsKronos9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list