# quagmire

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkwæɡ.maɪə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #39,504

## Definitions
1. A swampy, soggy area of ground.
2. A 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).

## Common misspellings (11)
`qaugmire`, `qquagmire`, `quaggmire`, `quagimre`, `quagmier`, `quagmirre`, `quagmmire`, `quagmrie`, `quamgire`, `qugamire`, `uqagmire`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/quagmire