screwball
/ˈskɹuːbɔːl/
"screwball" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“screwball” is an uncommon English word, ranked #57,052 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #57,052
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | screwball |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈskɹuːbɔːl/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #57,052 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “screwball” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for screwball is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈskɹuːbɔːl/. Corpus data places it at rank #57,052 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A 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.
- 2One who behaves in a crazy manner.
- 3A screwball comedy.
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
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
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Using “screwball”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-C-R-E-W-B-A-L-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈskɹuːbɔːl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.