wiggle
wig·gle/ˈwɪɡəl/verb, noun
wiggle is spelled W-I-G-G-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (wig·gle). It appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,629th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, wiggle means “To move with irregular, back and forward or side to side motions; to shake or jiggle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in wiggle?
| Letters | 6: W-I-G-G-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: wig·gle |
| In writing | 1.8 times per million words; the 20,629th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is wiggle?
Wiggle appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,629th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce wiggle?
- /ˈwɪɡəl/
Wiggle has 2 syllables, split wig·gle in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-wiggle.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of wiggle
- wiggles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- wiggling participle, present
- wiggled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wiggle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To move with irregular, back and forward or side to side motions; to shake or jiggle.
Her hips wiggle as she walks.
- 2
To move with shaking or jiggling.
She wiggled out through the small opening in the wall.
noun
- 1
A rapid movement in alternating opposite directions, not necessarily regular.
She walked with a sexy wiggle.
- 2
A dish that combines seafood and peas in a cream-based sauce.
shrimp wiggle
- 3
An alternating state or characteristic.
- 4
See wiggles.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wiggle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | frétiller, se tortiller |
| German | schlängeln, schwänzeln, wackeln, hin und her wackeln |
| Portuguese | rebolar, sacolejar , rebolado |
| Spanish | menear, contonear |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does wiggle come from?
From Middle English wiglen, probably from Middle Dutch wigelen (“to wiggle”) and perhaps Middle Low German wigelen, frequentative of wiegen (“to rock”), from wiege (“cradle”). See wain, and Dutch wieg (“cradle”). Cognate to Dutch wiggelen (“to wiggle”), Low German wiggeln (“to wiggle”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).