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wring

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "wring", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "wring" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "wring" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

wring is aEnglishverb. It means: Often followed by out: to squeeze or twist (something moist) tightly so that liquid is forced out. Pronounced /ɹɪŋ/. Often confused with writ and wrong.

Key facts for wring
PropertyValue
Headwordwring
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪŋ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#39,654
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of wring in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for wring is 5 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #39,654 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 26 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for wring, with forms such as "rwing", "wirng", and "wrign". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "writ", "wrong", "write", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wringen, wryngen from Old English wringan (“to wring”), from Proto-Germanic *wringaną (“to squeeze, twist, wring”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wrenǵʰ-. Cognates * Ancient Greek ῥίμφα (rhímpha, “fast”) * Dutch wringen * Lithuanian… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is wring, spelled W-R-I-N-G, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Often followed by out: to squeeze or twist (something moist) tightly so that liquid is forced out.
  2. 2
    Often followed by out: to squeeze or twist (something moist) tightly so that liquid is forced out.
  3. 3
    Often followed by from or out: to extract (a liquid) from something wet by squeezing, twisting, or otherwise putting pressure on it.
  4. 4
    To hold (someone or something) tightly and press or twist; to wrest.
  5. 5
    To hold (someone or something) tightly and press or twist; to wrest.
  6. 6
    To bend or strain (something) out of its position; to wrench, to wrest.
  7. 7
    To contort or screw up (the face or its features).
  8. 8
    To twist or wind (something) into coils; to coil.
  9. 9
    Of a thing (such as footwear): to pinch or press (a person or part of their body), causing pain.
  10. 10
    To cause (someone or something) physical harm, injury, or pain; specifically, by applying pressure or by twisting; to harm, to hurt, to injure.
  11. 11
    To cause (tears) to come out from a person or their eyes.
  12. 12
    To cause distress or pain to (a person or their heart, soul, etc.); to distress, to torment.
  13. 13
    To obtain (something) from or out of a person or thing by extortion or other force.
  14. 14
    To use effort to draw (a response, words, etc.) from or out of someone; to generate (something) as a response.
  15. 15
    To afflict or oppress (someone) to enforce compliance; to extort.
  16. 16
    To cause (someone) to do something or to think a certain way.
  17. 17
    To change (something) into another thing.
  18. 18
    To give (teachings, words, etc.) an incorrect meaning; to twist, to wrest.
  19. 19
    To put (oneself) in a position by cunning or subtle means; to insinuate.
  20. 20
    To slide (two ultraflat surfaces) together such that their faces bond.
  21. 21
    To be engaged in clasping and twisting (especially the hands), or exerting pressure.
  22. 22
    To twist the body in or as if in pain; to writhe.
  23. 23
    To contend, to struggle; also, to strive, to toil.
  24. 24
    To experience distress, pain, punishment, etc.
  25. 25
    Of a lode: to be depleted of ore; to peter or peter out.
  26. 26
    To make a way out with difficulty.

Etymology

From Middle English wringen, wryngen from Old English wringan (“to wring”), from Proto-Germanic *wringaną (“to squeeze, twist, wring”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wrenǵʰ-. Cognates * Ancient Greek ῥίμφα (rhímpha, “fast”) * Dutch wringen * Lithuanian reñgtis (“to bend down”) * Middle Low German wringen (Low German wringen) * Old Frisian *wringa (West Frisian wringe) * Old High German rinkan, ringan, ringan (Middle High German ringen, modern German wringen, German ringen (“to wrestle”))

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rwing,wirng,wrign,wringg,wrinng,wrnig,wrring,wwring

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for wring

Misspelling Variants of "wring"

rwing5wirng5wrign5wringg6wrinng6wrnig5wrring6wwring6
Misspelling Variants of "wring"

Frequency rank: #39,654 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "wring"?
"wring" is spelled W-R-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪŋ/.
What does "wring" mean?
As a verb, "wring" means: Often followed by out: to squeeze or twist (something moist) tightly so that liquid is forced out.
What words are commonly confused with "wring"?
"wring" is commonly confused with "writ", "wrong", "write". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wring"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wring" is /ɹɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "wring"?
From Middle English wringen, wryngen from Old English wringan (“to wring”), from Proto-Germanic *wringaną (“to squeeze, twist, wring”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wrenǵʰ-. Cognates * Ancient Greek ῥίμφα (rhímpha, “fast”) * Dutch wringen * ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter W in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.