wrangle
/ˈɹæŋɡ(ə)l/
"wrangle" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“wrangle” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #47,429 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #47,429
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To convince or influence (someone) by arguing or contending.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | wrangle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɹæŋɡ(ə)l/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #47,429 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “wrangle” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for wrangle is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹæŋɡ(ə)l/. Corpus data places it at rank #47,429 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for wrangle, with forms such as "rwangle", "warngle", and "wragnle". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "wrongly", "wrinkle", "wriggle", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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 Lo… The correct English form is wrangle, spelled W-R-A-N-G-L-E.
Definition
- 1To convince or influence (someone) by arguing or contending.
- 2Followed by out of: to elicit (something) from a person by arguing or bargaining.
- 3To speak or write (something) in an argumentative or contentious manner.
- 4To spend (time) arguing or quarrelling.
- 5To herd (horses or other livestock).
- 6To herd (horses or other livestock).
- 7To herd (horses or other livestock).
- 8Followed by out of: to compel or drive (someone or something) away through arguing.
- 9Followed by out: to put forward arguments on (a case, a matter disagreed upon, etc.).
- 10To cause (oneself) grief through arguing or quarrelling.
- 11To quarrel angrily and noisily; to bicker.
- 12To make harsh noises as if quarrelling.
- 13To argue, to debate; also (dated), to debate or discuss publicly, especially about a thesis at a university.
Etymology
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. Cognates * Danish vringle (“to twist, entangle”) * German rangeln (“to wrestle”)
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: rwangle,warngle,wragnle,wrangel,wranggle,wranglle,wranlge,wranngle,wrnagle,wrrangle,wwrangle
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wrangle - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "wrangle"?
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Using “wrangle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-R-A-N-G-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹæŋɡ(ə)l/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “wrongly” - see the side-by-side comparison. wrangle vs wrongly
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.