gurgle
/ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩/
"gurgle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“gurgle” is an uncommon English word, ranked #80,504 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #80,504
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To flow with a bubbling sound.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gurgle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #80,504 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “gurgle” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for gurgle is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #80,504 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for gurgle in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Back formation from Middle English gurguling (“a rumbling in the belly”). Akin to Middle Dutch gorgelen (“to gurgle”), Middle Low German gorgelen (“to gurgle”), German gurgeln (“to gargle”), and perhaps to Latin gurguliō (“throat”). The correct English form is gurgle, spelled G-U-R-G-L-E.
Definition
- 1To flow with a bubbling sound.
- 2To make such a sound.
Etymology
Back formation from Middle English gurguling (“a rumbling in the belly”). Akin to Middle Dutch gorgelen (“to gurgle”), Middle Low German gorgelen (“to gurgle”), German gurgeln (“to gargle”), and perhaps to Latin gurguliō (“throat”).
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 “gurgle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-U-R-G-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩/ (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.