plunge
/plʌnd͡ʒ/verb, noun
plunge is spelled P-L-U-N-G-E: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.1 times per million words in written English, the 15,146th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, plunge means “To thrust into liquid, or into any penetrable substance; to immerse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in plunge?
| Letters | 6: P-L-U-N-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.1 times per million words; the 15,146th 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 plunge?
Plunge appears 3.1 times per million words in written English, the 15,146th 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 plunge?
- /plʌnd͡ʒ/
Plunge 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: En-us-plunge.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of plunge
- plunges present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- plunging participle, present
- plunged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does plunge mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To thrust into liquid, or into any penetrable substance; to immerse.
to plunge the body into water
- 2
To cast, stab or throw deep and fast into some thing, state, condition or action.
to plunge a dagger into the breast
- 3
obsoleteTo baptize by immersion.
- 4
To dive, leap or rush (into water or some liquid); to submerge oneself.
he plunged into the river
- 5
To fall or rush headlong into some thing, action, state or condition.
to plunge into debt
- 6
To pitch or throw oneself headlong or violently forward, as a horse does.
- 7
slangTo bet heavily and recklessly; to risk large sums in gambling.
- 8
obsoleteTo entangle or embarrass (mostly used in past participle).
- 9
To remove a blockage by suction.
to plunge a toilet
noun
- 1
The act of plunging or submerging.
- 2
A dive, leap, rush, or pitch into (into water).
to take the water with a plunge
- 3
datedA swimming pool.
- 4
The act of pitching or throwing oneself headlong or violently forward, like an unruly horse.
- 5
slangHeavy and reckless betting in horse racing; hazardous speculation.
- 6
obsoleteAn immersion in difficulty, embarrassment, or distress; the condition of being surrounded or overwhelmed; a strait; difficulty.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Plunge in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | plonger , précipiter , se plonger , plongée |
| German | eintauchen, tauchen, untertauchen, senken, versenken , stoßen |
| Spanish | sumergir, zambullir, zabullir , precipitar, clavar , sumergirse |
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 plunge come from?
From Middle English plungen, ploungen, Anglo-Norman plungier, from Old French plongier, (Modern French plonger), from unattested Late Latin frequentative *plumbicō (“to throw a leaded line”), from plumbum (“lead”). Compare plumb, plounce.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).