entangle
/ɪnˈtaŋ.ɡəl/
"entangle" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“entangle” is an uncommon English word, ranked #74,938 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #74,938
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To tangle up; to twist or interweave in such a manner as not to be easily separated.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | entangle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪnˈtaŋ.ɡəl/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #74,938 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “entangle” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for entangle is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈtaŋ.ɡəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #74,938 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for entangle in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English entanglen (“to involve [someone] in difficulty”, “to embarrass”). Equivalent to en- + tangle. The correct English form is entangle, spelled E-N-T-A-N-G-L-E.
Definition
- 1To tangle up; to twist or interweave in such a manner as not to be easily separated.
- 2To involve in such complications as to render extrication difficult.
- 3To ensnare.
- 4To involve in difficulties or embarrassments; to embarrass, puzzle, or distract by adverse or perplexing circumstances, interests, demands, etc.; to hamper; to bewilder.
Etymology
From Middle English entanglen (“to involve [someone] in difficulty”, “to embarrass”). Equivalent to en- + tangle.
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
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Using “entangle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-N-T-A-N-G-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈtaŋ.ɡəl/ (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
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.