Flounder (verb)
fl-ow-n-der
Struggle or stagger clumsily in mud or water./ Struggle mentally; show or feel great confusion.
Late 16th century perhaps a blend of founder and blunder, or perhaps symbolic, fl- frequently beginning words connected with swift or sudden movement.
Example sentences
“With the tide out it floundered in the shallow pools.”
“He was floundering in incapabilities as he was overwhelmed with the task in hand .”