quagmire
/ˈkwæɡ.maɪə(ɹ)/
"quagmire" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“quagmire” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,504. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #39,504
- frequency rank, English
- 2,880
- “Q” headwords
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A swampy, soggy area of ground.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | quagmire |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkwæɡ.maɪə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #39,504 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “quagmire” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 11 spelling variants around quagmire (IPA /ˈkwæɡ.maɪə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,504 among 2,880 “Q” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for quagmire, with forms such as "qaugmire", "qquagmire", and "quaggmire". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since 1579, from quag + mire. The sense “perilous, mixed up and troubled situation” has been recorded since 1775. Alternatively, the word may apparently be a variation of the earlier quakemire, from quake + mire. Compare typologically Bulgarian тре… The correct English form is quagmire, spelled Q-U-A-G-M-I-R-E.
Definition
- 1A swampy, soggy area of ground.
- 2A perilous, mixed up and troubled situation; a hopeless tangle.
Etymology
Recorded since 1579, from quag + mire. The sense “perilous, mixed up and troubled situation” has been recorded since 1775. Alternatively, the word may apparently be a variation of the earlier quakemire, from quake + mire. Compare typologically Bulgarian тресавище (tresavište), Polish trzęsawisko, Russian тряси́на (trjasína) (akin to трясти́ (trjastí)); зыбь (zybʹ), зыбу́н (zybún) (<… Proto-Slavic *zybь).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- qaugmire
- qquagmire
- quaggmire
- quagimre
- quagmier
- quagmirre
- quagmmire
- quagmrie
- quamgire
- qugamire
- uqagmire
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of quagmire - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "quagmire"?
What does "quagmire" mean?
What are common misspellings of "quagmire"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “quagmire”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is Q-U-A-G-M-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkwæɡ.maɪə(ɹ)/ (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
Same frequency band
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.