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PlainSpell

wrangle

wran·gle/ˈɹeɪ̯ŋɡəl/verb, noun

wrangle is spelled W-R-A-N-G-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (wran·gle). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, wrangle means “To convince or influence (someone) by arguing or contending” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in wrangle?

Letters7: W-R-A-N-G-L-E
Syllables2: wran·gle
In writingabout once in every 3 million words; the 47,073rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with
Same letters

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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is wrangle?

Wrangle appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd 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 wrangle?

  • /ˈɹæŋɡəl/
  • [ˈɹʷæŋɡəl] ~ [ˈɹʷæŋɡl̩]
  • US /ˈɹeɪ̯ŋɡəl/

Wrangle has 2 syllables, split wran·gle in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-wrangle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with wrangle?

4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as wrangle from its last stressed vowel (/eɪŋɡəl/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: wangler.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of wrangle

  • wrangles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
  • wrangling participle, present
  • wrangled participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does wrangle mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    To convince or influence (someone) by arguing or contending.

  2. 2

    Followed by out of: to elicit (something) from a person by arguing or bargaining.

  3. 3

    archaicrareTo speak or write (something) in an argumentative or contentious manner.

  4. 4

    archaicrareTo spend (time) arguing or quarrelling.

  5. 5

    USTo herd (horses or other livestock).

  6. 6

    USTo manage or supervise (people).

  7. 7

    USTo gather and organize (data, facts, information, etc.), especially in a way which requires sentience rather than automated methods alone, as in data wrangling.

  8. 8

    obsoleteFollowed by out of: to compel or drive (someone or something) away through arguing.

noun

  1. 1

    An angry dispute; a noisy quarrel; an altercation.

  2. 2

    Angry disputation; noisy quarrelling.

    Wrangle and bloodshed followed thence.

  3. 3

    obsoleteA contentious argument or response.

  4. 4

    obsoleteA controversy.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Wrangle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Germantreiben (to herd (horses or other livestock); to manage…), rangeln, streiten (to quarrel angrily and noisily – see also bicker), Rangelei, Streit (angry disputation; noisy quarrelling)
Portuguesepastorar (to herd (horses or other livestock); to manage…), disputar (to quarrel angrily and noisily – see also bicker), briga (angry dispute; noisy quarrel)
Frenchdisputer, quereller (to quarrel angrily and noisily – see also bicker)
Spanishriña (angry disputation; noisy quarrelling), altercado, disputa, gresca (angry dispute; noisy quarrel)

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 wrangle come from?

The verb is derived from Middle English wranglen, wrangle (“to contend with (someone) in a test of strength; (figuratively) to make misleading arguments to entrap”); from a Middle Dutch or Middle Low German word related to Middle Dutch wrangen and Middle Low German wrangen (“to cause an uproar; to struggle, wrestle”) (whence Low German wrangeln (“to wrangle”)), related to Middle Dutch wringen (“to twist; to wrest; to wring; to struggle, wrestle”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *wringaną (“to squeeze; to twist; to wring”). The noun is derived from the verb.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after wrangle