snell
/snɛl/adjective, adverb, noun, verb
snell is spelled S-N-E-L-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, snell means “Quick, smart; sharp, active, brisk or nimble; lively” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in snell?
| Letters | 5: S-N-E-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,236th 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 snell?
Snell appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th 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 snell?
- /snɛl/
Snell 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-snell.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of snell
- sneller comparative
- snellest superlative
- more snell comparative
- most snell superlative
- snells plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- snelling participle, present
- snelled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does snell mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
ScotlandQuick, smart; sharp, active, brisk or nimble; lively.
- 2
ScotlandQuick-witted; clever.
- 3
ScotlandHarsh, severe, or stinging.
noun
- 1
ScotlandA short line of horsehair, gut, monofilament, etc., by which a fishhook or lure is attached to a longer (and usually heavier) line.
verb
- 1
ScotlandTo tie a hook to the end of a fishing line with a snell knot.
Can you show me how to snell a hook?
adverb
- 1
ScotlandAlternative form of snelly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Snell in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense short line to attach a hook or lure to heavier line:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Mundschnur |
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 snell come from?
Inherited from Middle English snell (“quick, fast”) from Old English snell, snel (“lively, quick”) from Proto-West Germanic *snell, from Proto-Germanic *snellaz (“active, swift, brisk”). Akin to Dutch snel (“fast, quick”), German Low German snell (“quick”), German schnell (“quick, swift”), Yiddish שנעל (shnel, “quick, swift”), Italian snello (“quick, nimble”), Old French esnel, isnel (“snell”), and Occitan isnel, irnel (“snell”)), Old Norse snjallr (“skilful, excellent”) (whence Danish snild (“clever”)).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).