jostle

/ˈd͡ʒɒs.əl/

//ˈd͡ʒɒs.əl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“jostle” is uncommon English (frequency #73,326 among 796 “J” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,326
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To bump into or brush against while in motion; to push aside.

Corpus desk

Index EN-jostle · jostle · English

jostle · rank #73,326 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,326
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH JPM

Nearest frequency peer: JPM (+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 “jostle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for jostle
PropertyValue
Headwordjostle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɒs.əl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#73,326
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “jostle” 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).jostlefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “JPM” (#73,327), “judicature” (#73,328), “jojoba” (#73,323). Among 796 “J” headwords, “jostle” is #73,326. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

jostle is uncommon English at frequency #73,326 among 796 “J” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈd͡ʒɒs.əl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for jostle in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Originally justle (“to have sex with”), formed from Middle English jousten, from the Old French joster (“to joust”), from Latin iuxtā (“next to”), from iungō (“join, connect”), equivalent to joust + -le. The correct English form is jostle, spelled J-O-S-T-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To bump into or brush against while in motion; to push aside.
  2. 2
    To move through by pushing and shoving.
  3. 3
    To be close to or in physical contact with.
  4. 4
    To contend or vie in order to acquire something.
  5. 5
    To pick or attempt to pick pockets.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Besides, various are the paths to power and fame which by accident or choice men pursue, and though they jostle against each other, for men of the same profession are seldom friends, yet there is a much greater number of their fellow-creatures with whom they never clash. But women are very differently situated with respect to each other—for they are all r…
  2. It is not that there are several systems of movement, physical, intellectual, and moral, which are perpetually jostling each other, or which clash whenever they come in contact, and which move on by the one vanquishing the other. But, on the contrary, each of these economies takes its uninterrupted course, as if there were no other moving within the same…

Etymology

Originally justle (“to have sex with”), formed from Middle English jousten, from the Old French joster (“to joust”), from Latin iuxtā (“next to”), from iungō (“join, connect”), equivalent to joust + -le.

This word in other languages

codear(Español)bousculer(Français)drängeln(Deutsch)esbarrar(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 "jostle"?
"jostle" is spelled J-O-S-T-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɒs.əl/.
What does "jostle" mean?
As a verb, "jostle" means: To bump into or brush against while in motion; to push aside.
How do you pronounce "jostle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jostle" is /ˈd͡ʒɒs.əl/. 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 "jostle"?
Originally justle (“to have sex with”), formed from Middle English jousten, from the Old French joster (“to joust”), from Latin iuxtā (“next to”), from iungō (“join, connect”), equivalent to joust + -le. 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 "jostle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

jojoba#73,323Killen#73,345impale#73,291lambie#73,365

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list