wrench
/ˈɹɛnt͡ʃ/noun, verb
wrench is spelled W-R-E-N-C-H: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, wrench means “A movement that twists or pulls violently; a tug” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of wrench is wrenches.
How many letters and syllables are in wrench?
| Letters | 6: W-R-E-N-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 wrench?
Wrench appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th 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 wrench?
- US /ˈɹɛnt͡ʃ/
- US [ˈɹʷɛnt͡ʃ]
- Australia /ˈɹent͡ʃ/
Wrench has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-wrench.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with wrench?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as wrench from its last stressed vowel (/ɛntʃ/):
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 wrench
- wrenches plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- wrenching participle, present
- wrenched participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wrench mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A movement that twists or pulls violently; a tug.
- 2
An injury caused by a violent twisting or pulling of a limb; strain, sprain.
- 3
obsoleteA trick or artifice.
- 4
obsoleteDeceit; guile; treachery.
- 5
obsoleteA turn at an acute angle.
- 6
archaicA winch or windlass.
- 7
obsoleteA screw.
- 8
A distorting change from the original meaning.
verb
- 1
To pull or twist violently.
With a surge of adrenaline, she wrenched the car door off and pulled out the injured man.
- 2
To injure (a joint) by pulling or twisting.
Be careful not to wrench your ankle walking along those loose stones!
- 3
To distort the original meaning of; to misrepresent.
- 4
To rack with pain; to make hurt or distressed.
- 5
To deprive by means of a violent pull or twist.
- 6
To use a wrench; to twist with a wrench.
The plumber wrenched the pipes until they came loose.
- 7
obsoleteTo violently move in a turn or writhe.
- 8
obsoleteTo tighten with or as if with a winch.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wrench in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Ruck , Schraubenschlüssel, Schlüssel , Abschiedsschmerz, Stich ins Herz , drehen |
| Portuguese | sacalão , chave inglesa, chave de boca , arrancar , deslocar, torcer |
| Spanish | tirón , llave, llave de tuerca, llave inglesa |
| French | clef à écrous, clef, clé, serre-écrou, clé de serrage , arracher |
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 wrench come from?
From Middle English wrench, from Old English wrenċ, from Proto-Germanic *wrankiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wreng- (“to turn”). Compare German Rank (“plot, intrigue”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).