gnarl
/nɑː(ɹ)l/noun, verb, adjective
gnarl is spelled G-N-A-R-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 59 million words in written English, the 240,237th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gnarl means “A knot in wood; a knurl or a protuberance with twisted grain, on a tree” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gnarl is gnarls.
How many letters and syllables are in gnarl?
| Letters | 5: G-N-A-R-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 59 million words; the 240,237th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is gnarl?
Gnarl appears about once in every 59 million words in written English, the 240,237th 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 gnarl?
- /nɑː(ɹ)l/
Gnarl has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-gnarl.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of gnarl
- gnarls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- gnarling participle, present
- gnarled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gnarl mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A knot in wood; a knurl or a protuberance with twisted grain, on a tree.
- 2
Something resembling a knot in wood, such as in stone or limbs.
verb
- 1
To knot or twist something.
- 2
To snarl or growl; to gnar.
adjective
- 1
Gnarled, knotty, twisted.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gnarl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 gnarl come from?
Back-formation from gnarled.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).