2 syllables: Wrig, gle. Stress on Wrig.
RIG-uhl
/ˈɹɪɡəl/
Wriggle is pronounced RIG-uhl (/ˈɹɪɡəl/). It has two syllables (Wrig-gle), with the stress on "Wrig". Wriggle is a verb meaning to twist or move with small, irregular motions, typically using the body to avoid or maneuver in a constrained space. It often implies a contortion or meandering movement rather than a smooth, straight motion. The term conveys a sense of effort and flexibility in negotiating one's surroundings, often with a slight, repetitive motion.
verbWriggle is a verb meaning to twist or move with small, irregular motions, typically using the body to avoid or maneuver in a constrained space. It often implies a contortion or meandering movement rather than a smooth, straight motion. The term conveys a sense of effort and flexibility in negotiating one's surroundings, often with a slight, repetitive motion.
- You might devoicing the final /l/ or letting it vanish in rapid speech; keep a light, clear /l/ to avoid a silent end. - A frequent error is merging /ɡ/ and /ə/ into a single blurred sound; practice separating the stop /ɡ/ from the following syllable with a tiny vowel. - Another pitfall is treating /ɪ/ as an unsurprising, long vowel; keep it short and clipped to match WRIG- in WRIG-gle. - Tip: record yourself and compare to native audio, then slow down to perfect the timing.
How to Pronounce Wriggle
"She tried to wriggle free from the tight knot of rope."
"The worm began to wriggle under the leaf as the sun warmed the soil."
"He wriggled his way through the crowded queue to reach the front."
Pronounce as /ˈrɪɡəl/ with primary stress on the first syllable. Start with a voiced alveolar approximant /r/, then /ɪ/ as in ship, followed by /ɡ/ as a hard /g/ and a schwa-ending /əl/ where the l is light. You can think ‘RIG-əl’ with a quick, almost tucked vowel in the second syllable. For audio reference, listen to native speakers saying “wriggle” in everyday speech.
Two common errors are pronouncing it as /ˈrɪɡl/ without the vowel in the second syllable or turning the /ɡ/ into a /dʒ/ or /ʒ/ sound. Another frequent slip is mis-stressing the second syllable or turning the -le into a full syllable like /-liː/. Correct approach: maintain /ˈrɪɡ.əl/ with a light, unstressed schwa in the second syllable and a soft syllabic /l/ rather than a hard consonant.
In US English, /ˈrɪɡ.əl/ often has a sharper /ɡ/ and a slightly reduced middle vowel, with rhotic r. In UK English, /ˈrɪɡ.əl/ remains similar but the /ɡ/ can be crisper and the vowel may be slightly more centralized. Australian English tends to a more centralized /ɪ/ and a lightly released /g/, with a slightly less pronounced /ɡ/ onset and a more open /ə/ in final syllable. Overall, rhoticity is present in all three, but vowel quality shifts subtly.
The difficulty lies in the rapid transition from the alveolar /ɡ/ to a softened /əl/ sequence, requiring precise tongue lift and voicing control to avoid turning the /ɡ/ into an affricate or letting the /l/ become a full syllable. The stress on the first syllable and the short, reduced second syllable demand careful timing and closed mouth posture to keep the sounds distinct and fluid.
A key nuance is maintaining a light, near-diphthongal quality in the ending /əl/, especially in fluent speech. The /ɪ/ in the first syllable should be short and crisp, not drawn out, to avoid a mispronounced /riɡəl/ with a long vowel. Keeping the /ɡ/ as a hard but not explosive stop helps preserve the natural cadence of WRIG-gle.
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- US: rhotic /ɹ/ followed by crisp /ɡ/ and schwa; keep /ɹ/ to the front of the mouth with the tongue curled slightly; /ɡ/ is a hard stop before a light /əl/. - UK: non-rhotic? no, UK is typically rhotic too for most dialects; focus on a slightly more rounded /ɪ/ and crisper /ɡ/; - AU: vowels tend to be more centralized; maintain a crisp /ɡ/ and a soft /əl/ with a relaxed tongue.
Wriggle originates in Middle English wriggen, from Old English wrigian ‘to turn, twist,’ possibly echoing a Germanic root related to wriggle and wrig. The root conveys a twisting or turning motion. The form wriggle appears in the 15th century with sense development toward small, irregular motions of the body. Its semantic evolution tracks a shift from broad twisting to the more precise notion of coiled or squirming movements in constrained spaces. First known use attested in Middle English texts; it gradually became a common verb for describing flailing or wriggling limbs in tight or restricted circumstances, preserving its core sense of elbows, hips, or other body parts moving in tight, repetitive arcs.
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Help others use "Wriggle" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "Wriggle" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Wriggle" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Wriggle"
-gle sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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