# unravel

> English word · Verb · IPA /(ˌ)ʌnˈɹævl̩/ · frequency rank #22,849

## Definitions
1. To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle.
2. To separate the threads of (something knitted or woven, such as clothing or fabric).
3. To separate the connected or united parts of (something); to throw (something) into disorder; to confound, to confuse, to disintegrate.
4. To clear (something) from complication or difficulty; to investigate and solve (a mystery, a problem, etc.); to disentangle, to unfold, to work out.
5. To reverse or undo (something); to annul, to negate.
6. To become no longer ravelled or tangled.
7. Of threads: to become separated from something knitted or woven, such as clothing or fabric; also, of something knitted or woven: to separate into threads; to come apart.
8. Of a thing: to have its connected or united parts separated; to be thrown into disorder; to become confused or undone; to collapse.

## Etymology
PIE word
 *h₂énti
From un- (suffix denoting the inverse of the specified action) + ravel.
cognates
* Dutch ontrafelen (“to unravel”)

## Common misspellings (10)
`nuravel`, `unarvel`, `unnravel`, `unraevl`, `unravell`, `unravle`, `unravvel`, `unrravel`, `unrvael`, `urnavel`

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