ontrafelen

Ontrafelen is a Dutch verb meaning to unravel, disentangle, or figure out something complex through careful analysis. It is commonly used when solving puzzles, deciphering codes, or reconstructing events from scattered clues, and it can also describe clarifying a complicated concept in research or journalism.

In practice, ontrafelen implies a stepwise investigative process: identifying components, testing hypotheses, and integrating findings into a coherent explanation. The term appears in law enforcement contexts to describe piecing together evidence, in literary analysis to interpret layered narratives, and in data science to reveal hidden patterns or causal relationships. It is used both in literal contexts (for example, ontrafelen een puzzel) and in metaphorical ones (ontrafelen wat er achter een beslissing schuilgaat).

Conjugation and usage: the verb is regular, with past tense ontrafelde and past participle ontrafeld. English equivalents include unravel, disentangle, and figure out. Related Dutch terms include ontwarren (to untangle), oplossen (to solve), and ontcijferen (to decipher).