hooligan
hoo·li·gan/ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/noun, verb
hooligan is spelled H-O-O-L-I-G-A-N: 8 letters and 3 syllables (hoo·li·gan). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hooligan means “A young person who causes trouble or violence, typically as a member of a gang or other group” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hooligan is hooligans.
How many letters and syllables are in hooligan?
| Letters | 8: H-O-O-L-I-G-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: hoo·li·gan |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is hooligan?
Hooligan appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce hooligan?
- /ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/
Hooligan has 3 syllables, split hoo·li·gan in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-hooligan.ogg, En-au-Wholigan.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with hooligan
Sounds like: Wholigan (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of hooligan
- hooligans plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- hooliganing participle, present
- hooliganed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hooligan mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
informalA young person who causes trouble or violence, typically as a member of a gang or other group.
- 2
Ellipsis of football hooligan.
- 3
USslangA member of the United States Coast Guard.
- 4
A type of fish, an anadromous smelt, Thaleichthys pacificus, found in the North Pacific.
verb
- 1
To act as a hooligan (etymology 1, noun sense 1).
- 2
To treat (a person) roughly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate hooligan?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of hooligan: hool, hoolie.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hooligan in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense person that causes trouble or violence:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hooligan, casseur, voyou |
| German | Hooligan, Raufbold, Randalierer, Rowdy, Störenfried, Vandale |
| Portuguese | hooligan, vândalo, arruaceiro, baderneiro |
| Spanish | gamberro, gamberra, vándalo, vándala, hooligan |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does hooligan come from?
Probably a variant of the Irish surname Houlihan, 1890s.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).