Inveckla

Inveckla is a Swedish verb meaning to entangle, embroil, or to complicate something by involving additional elements or people. It is used both for describing situations that become more intricate and for describing the act of drawing someone into a problem or arrangement. The construction often appears as inveckla någon i något, for example: "han försökte inveckla henne i sin plan." It can also describe a narrative or process that has become intricate, as in "en invecklad historia."

Origin and forms: The verb combines a prefix in- with a root related to twisting or weaving. Standard forms include infinitive inveckla, present invecklar, past invecklade, supine invecklat, present participle invecklande, and past participle/adjective invecklad. The adjective invecklad is commonly used to describe something that is highly complex or entangled, for example "en invecklad situation."

Usage notes: Inveckla is relatively formal and is often found in journalism, politics, legal discourse, or literary writing. It conveys not just complexity but a sense of involvement or entanglement of people or procedures. In everyday language, synonyms such as komplicera may be used for plain “to complicate,” while inveckla emphasizes the act of drawing others into a knot of relations or details. Examples include plans that invecklar myndigheter in bureaucratic processes or explanations that become so invecklade that they are hard to follow.

See also: invecklad (adjective), inveckling (noun, entanglement/complication). Related expressions include inverka in someone’s life or plans, and verbs like komplicera for broader contexts.