plunge

/plʌnd͡ʒ/

//plʌnd͡ʒ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“plunge” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,246. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,246
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To thrust into liquid, or into any penetrable substance; to immerse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-plunge · plunge · English

plunge · rank #15,246 · 9 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,246
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH powerless

Nearest frequency peer: powerless (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “plunge”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “plunge” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

plunge vs Pune
50% similar
plunge vs purge
67% similar
plunge vs prune
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for plunge
PropertyValue
Headwordplunge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/plʌnd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#15,246
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “plunge”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).plungelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “powerless” (#15,247), “pragmatic” (#15,248), “peg” (#15,243). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “plunge” is #15,246. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around plunge (IPA /plʌnd͡ʒ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #15,246 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for plunge, with forms such as "lpunge", "pllunge", and "plnuge". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "Pune", "purge", "prune", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is plunge, spelled P-L-U-N-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To thrust into liquid, or into any penetrable substance; to immerse.
  2. 2
    To cast, stab or throw deep and fast into some thing, state, condition or action.
  3. 3
    To baptize by immersion.
  4. 4
    To dive, leap or rush (into water or some liquid); to submerge oneself.
  5. 5
    To fall or rush headlong into some thing, action, state or condition.
  6. 6
    To pitch or throw oneself headlong or violently forward, as a horse does.
  7. 7
    To bet heavily and recklessly; to risk large sums in gambling.
  8. 8
    To entangle or embarrass (mostly used in past participle).
  9. 9
    To overwhelm, overpower.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to plunge the body into water
  2. "Most of them don't wash. Those who do usually plunge their head into some brook or rill, if there happens to be one about."

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

zambullir(Español)plonger(Français)eintauchen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lpunge
  • pllunge
  • plnuge
  • plugne
  • pluneg
  • plungge
  • plunnge
  • pplunge
  • pulnge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of plunge - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

lpunge2pllunge1plnuge2plugne2pluneg2plungge1plunnge1pplunge1
Edit distance from "plunge"

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 "plunge"?
"plunge" is spelled P-L-U-N-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /plʌnd͡ʒ/.
What does "plunge" mean?
As a verb, "plunge" means: To thrust into liquid, or into any penetrable substance; to immerse.
What words are commonly confused with "plunge"?
"plunge" is commonly confused with "Pune", "purge", "prune". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "plunge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "plunge" is /plʌnd͡ʒ/. 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 "plunge"?
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. 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 "plunge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

parrot#15,240paddle#15,239Ramsay#15,253neatly#15,229

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

sanity9 variantsmyriad9 variantsshuffle9 variantssiding9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list