untangle

/ʌnˈtæŋ.ɡəl/

//ʌnˈtæŋ.ɡəl// verb

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

"untangle" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“untangle” is uncommon English (frequency #50,878 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,878
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To remove tangles or knots from.

Corpus desk

Index EN-untangle · untangle · English

untangle · rank #50,878 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,878
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unreserved

Nearest frequency peer: unreserved (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “untangle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “untangle” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for untangle
PropertyValue
Headworduntangle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʌnˈtæŋ.ɡəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#50,878
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “untangle” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).untanglefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “unreserved” (#50,877), “usury” (#50,879), “unquestioned” (#50,876). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “untangle” is #50,878. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

untangle is uncommon English at frequency #50,878 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ʌnˈtæŋ.ɡəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for untangle, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + tangle. The correct English form is untangle, spelled U-N-T-A-N-G-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remove tangles or knots from.
  2. 2
    To remove confusion or mystery from.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. With gentle combing, untangle your hair.
  2. It took a while, but he finally untangled the problem.

Etymology

From un- + tangle.

Synonyms

disentanglefeezetease outunravelunsnarluntangle

Antonyms

tangle

This word in other languages

dénatter(Français)entwirren(Deutsch)desembaraçar(Português)

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 "untangle"?
"untangle" is spelled U-N-T-A-N-G-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈtæŋ.ɡəl/.
What does "untangle" mean?
As a verb, "untangle" means: To remove tangles or knots from.
How do you pronounce "untangle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "untangle" is /ʌnˈtæŋ.ɡəl/. 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 "untangle"?
From un- + tangle. 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 "untangle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vibrancy#50,887Westcott#50,896winnable#50,900Thurmond#50,845

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list