slew
/sl(j)uː/noun, verb
slew is spelled S-L-E-W: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “slew vs slough” about 140 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, slew means “The act, or process of slewing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of slew is slews.
How many letters and syllables are in slew?
| Letters | 4: S-L-E-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is slew?
Slew appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th 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 slew?
- /sl(j)uː/
- /slɪu̯/
As a noun (“Alternative spelling of slough (“a marshy or swampy place”)…”): /sluː/, /sl(j)uː/, /slɪu̯/.
Slew has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Pvanp7-slew.wav, En-au-slew.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with slew
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: slue (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: slough.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of slew
- slews plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- slewing participle, present
- slewed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does slew mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act, or process of slewing.
- 2
A device used for slewing.
- 3
A change of position.
- 4
A large amount.
She has a slew of papers and notebooks strewn all over her desk.
- 5
A crowd or large number of people.
- 6
Alternative spelling of slough (“a marshy or swampy place”) (reflecting the alternative pronunciation).
verb
- 1
To rotate or turn something about its axis.
- 2
To veer a vehicle.
- 3
To insert extra ticks or skip some ticks of a clock to slowly correct its time.
- 4
To pivot.
- 5
To skid.
- 6
To move something (usually a railway line) sideways.
The single line was slewed onto the disused up formation to make way for the future redoubling.
- 7
UKslangTo make a public mockery of someone through insult or wit.
- 8
simple past of slay
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Slew in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | girar, fazer girar, virar, fazer virar , amontoado, montão |
| German | Menge, Reihe, ganze Reihe |
| Spanish | gran / grossa cantidad / cuantía, retahíla |
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 slew come from?
In all senses, a mostly British spelling of slue.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).