snarl
/ˈsnɑː(ɹ)l/verb, noun
snarl is spelled S-N-A-R-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, snarl means “To entangle; to complicate; to involve in knots” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in snarl?
| Letters | 5: S-N-A-R-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,947th 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 snarl?
Snarl appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th 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 snarl?
- /ˈsnɑː(ɹ)l/
Snarl 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)-Vealhurl-snarl.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of snarl
- snarls present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- snarling participle, present
- snarled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does snarl mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To entangle; to complicate; to involve in knots.
to snarl a skein of thread
- 2
To become entangled.
- 3
To place in an embarrassing situation; to ensnare; to make overly complicated.
November 9, 1550, Hugh Latimer, Sermon Preached at Stanford [the] question that they would have snarled him with
- 4
To be congested in traffic, or to make traffic congested.
- 5
To form raised work upon the outer surface of (thin metal ware) by the repercussion of a snarling iron upon the inner surface; to repoussé
- 6
To growl angrily by gnashing or baring the teeth; to gnarl; to utter grumbling sounds.
- 7
To complain angrily; to utter growlingly.
- 8
To speak crossly; to talk in rude, surly terms.
noun
- 1
A knot or complication of hair, thread, or the like, difficult to disentangle.
- 2
An intricate complication; a problematic difficulty; a knotty or tangled situation.
- 3
A slow-moving traffic jam.
- 4
The act of snarling; a growl; a surly or peevish expression; an angry contention.
- 5
A growl, for example that of an angry or surly dog, or similar; grumbling sounds.
- 6
A squabble.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Snarl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | enchevêtrer , s'enchevêtrer , embrouille, sac de nœuds , grogner |
| German | verheddern , wirres Knäuel , knurren, Zähne fletschen , anschnauzen , Fletschen |
| Spanish | enredar , enredo, maraña , gruñir , gruñido |
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 snarl come from?
From Middle English snarlen, frequentative of snaren (“to trap, tangle”). Equivalent to snare + -le.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).