screwball

/ˈskɹuːbɔːl/

//ˈskɹuːbɔːl// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"screwball" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“screwball” is uncommon English (frequency #57,052 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,052
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pitch thrown with added pressure by the index finger and a twisting wrist motion resulting in a motion to the right when thrown by a right-handed pitcher.

Corpus desk

Index EN-screwball · screwball · English

screwball · rank #57,052 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,052
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sciatic

Nearest frequency peer: sciatic (-3 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “screwball”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “screwball” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for screwball
PropertyValue
Headwordscrewball
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskɹuːbɔːl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#57,052
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “screwball” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).screwballfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “sciatic” (#57,049), “Selah” (#57,055), “semantically” (#57,056). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “screwball” is #57,052. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

screwball is uncommon English at frequency #57,052 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈskɹuːbɔːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for screwball, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From screw + ball. Compare typologically German Spinner (akin to spin). Also compare weirdo, weird (ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *wert-). The correct English form is screwball, spelled S-C-R-E-W-B-A-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pitch thrown with added pressure by the index finger and a twisting wrist motion resulting in a motion to the right when thrown by a right-handed pitcher.
  2. 2
    One who behaves in a crazy manner.
  3. 3
    A screwball comedy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how screwball appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The screwball is not thrown much because it tends to damage pitcher's arms.
  2. I will not listen to this screwball any longer.

Etymology

From screw + ball. Compare typologically German Spinner (akin to spin). Also compare weirdo, weird (ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *wert-).

This word in other languages

fêlé(Français)Spinner(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "screwball"?
"screwball" is spelled S-C-R-E-W-B-A-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɹuːbɔːl/.
What does "screwball" mean?
As a noun, "screwball" means: A pitch thrown with added pressure by the index finger and a twisting wrist motion resulting in a motion to the right when thrown by a right-handed pitcher.
How do you pronounce "screwball"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "screwball" is /ˈskɹuːbɔːl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "screwball"?
From screw + ball. Compare typologically German Spinner (akin to spin). Also compare weirdo, weird (ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *wert-). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "screwball", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sainthood#57,042shogunate#57,068rocketing#57,029refractor#57,012

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list