gurgle

/ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩/

//ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩// verb

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

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

The verdict

“gurgle” is uncommon English (frequency #80,504 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,504
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To flow with a bubbling sound.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gurgle · gurgle · English

gurgle · rank #80,504 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,504
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Gstaad

Nearest frequency peer: Gstaad (-2 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 “gurgle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gurgle
PropertyValue
Headwordgurgle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#80,504
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gurgle” 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).gurglefalls 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: “Gstaad” (#80,502), “groveling” (#80,501), “Hafner” (#80,507). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gurgle” is #80,504. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gurgle is uncommon English at frequency #80,504 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

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

  1. 1
    To flow with a bubbling sound.
  2. 2
    To make such a sound.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The bath water gurgled down the drain.
  2. Pure gurgling rills the lonely deſart trace, / And vvaſte their muſick on the ſavage race.

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

gargouiller(Français)gurgeln(Deutsch)

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 "gurgle"?
"gurgle" is spelled G-U-R-G-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩/.
What does "gurgle" mean?
As a verb, "gurgle" means: To flow with a bubbling sound.
How do you pronounce "gurgle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gurgle" is /ˈɡɜː.ɡl̩/. 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 "gurgle"?
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”). 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 "gurgle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Gstaad#80,502Hafner#80,507Gillum#80,488hexane#80,529

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list