snap
/snæp/noun, verb, interjection, adjective
snap is spelled S-N-A-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, snap means “A quick breaking or cracking sound or the action of producing such a sound” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of snap is snaps.
How many letters and syllables are in snap?
| Letters | 4: S-N-A-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 16 times per million words; the 5,025th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is snap?
Snap appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th 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 snap?
- /snæp/
Snap 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: En-us-snap.ogg, En-au-snap.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-Snap.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with snap
Also written: oh snap.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with snap?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as snap.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: span, pans.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of snap
- snaps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- snapping participle, present
- snapped participle, past
- snap!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does snap mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A quick breaking or cracking sound or the action of producing such a sound.
- 2
A sudden break.
- 3
An attempt to seize, bite, attack, or grab.
- 4
The act of snapping the fingers; making a sound by pressing a finger against the thumb and suddenly releasing to strike the hand.
- 5
A fastening device that makes a snapping sound when used.
- 6
informalA photograph; a snapshot.
We took a few snaps of the old church before moving on.
- 7
The sudden release of something held under pressure or tension.
- 8
A thin circular cookie or similar baked good.
a ginger snap
verb
- 1
To fracture or break apart suddenly.
He snapped his stick in anger.
- 2
To give forth or produce a sharp cracking noise; to crack.
Blazing firewood snaps.
- 3
To attempt to seize or bite with the teeth, beak, etc.
A dog snaps at a passenger. A fish snaps at the bait.
- 4
To attempt to seize with eagerness.
She snapped at the chance to appear on television.
- 5
To speak abruptly or sharply.
He snapped at me for the slightest mistake.
- 6
To give way abruptly and loudly.
- 7
To suffer a mental breakdown, usually while under tension.
She should take a break before she snaps.
- 8
To flash or appear to flash as with light.
interjection
- 1
The cry used in a game of snap when winning a hand.
- 2
AustraliaUK"I've got one the same!", "Me too!"
Snap! We've both got pink buckets and spades.
- 3
UKUsed to express agreement.
- 4
CanadaUSUsed in place of an expletive to express surprise, usually in response to a negative statement or news; often used facetiously.
I just ran over your phone with my car. –Oh, snap!
- 5
AustraliaUKUsed after something is said by two people at exactly the same time.
–Wasn't that John? –Wasn't that John? –Snap!
adjective
- 1
informalDone, made, performed, etc., quickly and unexpectedly, or without deliberation.
a snap judgment or decision
noun
- 1
Acronym of soluble NSF attachment protein.
- 2
Acronym of S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine.
noun
- 1
A visual message sent through the Snapchat application.
- 2
colloquialClipping of Snapchat (“user account on Snapchat”).
verb
- 1
To send a visual message through the Snapchat application.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Snap in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | claquer , claquement de doigts , photographie, photo, instantané , rompre |
| German | Knacken, Knallen, Knack, Knall, Peitschenknall , Bruch |
| Portuguese | estalo , estalar (os dedos) , clique , estalar , buscas, bote |
| Spanish | chasquido, crujido , chasquido “de dedos”/dactilar , quebrar, romper de golpe , agolpamiento |
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 snap come from?
From Dutch snappen (“to bite; seize”) or Low German snappen (“to bite; seize”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *snappōn, from Proto-Germanic *snappōną (“to snap; snatch; chatter”), intensive form of *snapāną (”to snap; grab”, whence Old Norse snapa (“to get; scrounge”)), from Proto-Indo-European *snop-; compare Lithuanian snãpas (“beak, bill”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).