# wrench

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɹɛnt͡ʃ/ · frequency rank #17,996

## Definitions
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. A trick or artifice.
4. Deceit; guile; treachery.
5. A turn at an acute angle.
6. A winch or windlass.
7. A screw.
8. A distorting change from the original meaning.
9. A hand tool for making rotational adjustments, such as fitting nuts and bolts, or fitting pipes.
10. An adjustable spanner used by plumbers.
11. A violent emotional change caused by separation.
12. In screw theory, a screw assembled from force and torque vectors arising from application of Newton's laws to a rigid body.
13. means; contrivance
14. In coursing, the act of bringing the hare round at less than a right angle, worth half a point in the recognised code of points for judging.

## Etymology
From Middle English wrench, from Old English wrenċ, from Proto-Germanic *wrankiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wreng- (“to turn”). Compare German Rank (“plot, intrigue”).

## Easily confused with
- **wretch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wrench-vs-wretch)
- **wrenches** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wrench-vs-wrenches)
- **wren** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wren-vs-wrench)
- **wreck** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wreck-vs-wrench)
- **welch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/welch-vs-wrench)
- **winch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/winch-vs-wrench)
- **wench** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wench-vs-wrench)
- **wreath** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wreath-vs-wrench)
- **whence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whence-vs-wrench)

## Common misspellings (10)
`rwench`, `wernch`, `wrecnh`, `wrencch`, `wrenchh`, `wrenhc`, `wrennch`, `wrnech`, `wrrench`, `wwrench`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/wrench