gargle

/ˈɡɑːɡəl/

//ˈɡɑːɡəl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“gargle” is uncommon English (frequency #60,822 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,822
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To clean one's mouth by holding water or some other liquid in the back of the mouth and blowing air out from the lungs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gargle · gargle · English

gargle · rank #60,822 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,822
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gans

Nearest frequency peer: gans (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “gargle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “gargle” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gargle
PropertyValue
Headwordgargle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɡɑːɡəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#60,822
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gargle” in English

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).garglefalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “gans” (#60,821), “gassy” (#60,823), “Galton” (#60,820). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gargle” is #60,822. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gargle is uncommon English at frequency #60,822 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɡɑːɡəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

gargle doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French gargouiller (“to gargle”), from Old French gargouille, gargole (“gutter, throat”). Compare gargoyle and Spanish garganta. Displaced non-native Middle English gargargisen (“to gargle”) from Latin, and native Old English swillan (“to gargle”) (anc… The correct English form is gargle, spelled G-A-R-G-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To clean one's mouth by holding water or some other liquid in the back of the mouth and blowing air out from the lungs.
  2. 2
    To make a sound like the one made while gargling.
  3. 3
    To clean a specific part of the body by gargling (almost always throat or mouth).
  4. 4
    To use (a liquid) for purposes of cleaning one's mouth or throat by gargling.
  5. 5
    To perform oral sex on (a person or genitals).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She hated the poisoned feeling in her throat, and no matter how often she gargled she felt unclean and disgusting.
  2. They don't gargle their throats with anything stronger than coffee at this tavern.

Etymology

From French gargouiller (“to gargle”), from Old French gargouille, gargole (“gutter, throat”). Compare gargoyle and Spanish garganta. Displaced non-native Middle English gargargisen (“to gargle”) from Latin, and native Old English swillan (“to gargle”) (ancestor of English swill).

This word in other languages

gargarizar(Español)se gargariser(Français)gurgeln(Deutsch)gargarejar(Português)

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 "gargle"?
"gargle" is spelled G-A-R-G-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɑːɡəl/.
What does "gargle" mean?
As a verb, "gargle" means: To clean one's mouth by holding water or some other liquid in the back of the mouth and blowing air out from the lungs.
How do you pronounce "gargle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gargle" is /ˈɡɑːɡəl/. 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 "gargle"?
From French gargouiller (“to gargle”), from Old French gargouille, gargole (“gutter, throat”). Compare gargoyle and Spanish garganta. Displaced non-native Middle English gargargisen (“to gargle”) from Latin, and native Old English swillan (“to gar... 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 "gargle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Galton#60,820fracas#60,816Godiva#60,833Harada#60,847

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list