snapdragon
/ˈsnæpdɹæɡən/noun
snapdragon is spelled S-N-A-P-D-R-A-G-O-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,660th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, snapdragon means “Any plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowers” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of snapdragon is snapdragons.
How many letters and syllables are in snapdragon?
| Letters | 10: S-N-A-P-D-R-A-G-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,660th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is snapdragon?
Snapdragon appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,660th 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 snapdragon?
- US /ˈsnæpdɹæɡən/
Snapdragon has 3 syllables (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)-Vealhurl-snapdragon.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with snapdragon
Also written: snap-dragon (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of snapdragon
- snapdragons plural
- snap dragon
- snap-dragon
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does snapdragon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowers.
- 2
A game in which raisins are snatched from a vessel containing burning brandy, and eaten; the substance snatched and eaten during the playing of the game; the vessel used for the game.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Snapdragon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense any plant of the genus Antirrhinum:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gueule-de-loup |
| German | Löwenmäulchen, Löwenmäuler |
| Portuguese | boca-de-leão, boca-de-lobo, antirrino, erva-bezerra |
| Spanish | boca de dragón |
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 snapdragon come from?
(1570s) From snap + dragon, from a fancied resemblance, especially by playing children that the flower is a dragon that opens its "mouth" when squeezed on the sides. Compare for this sense the etymology of Dutch leeuwenbek (“snapdragon”, literally “lion's mouth”) and German Löwenmaul. An ancient name was Old English hundeshéafod (literally “dog's head”). For the parlour game sense, the 1704 Swift quotation is apparently the earliest appearance in print.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).