snifter
snift·er/ˈsnɪftəɹ/verb, noun
snifter is spelled S-N-I-F-T-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables (snift·er). It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 133,440th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, snifter means “To sniff; also, to snivel or snuffle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in snifter?
| Letters | 7: S-N-I-F-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: snift·er |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 133,440th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 snifter?
Snifter appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 133,440th 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 snifter?
- UK /ˈsnɪftə/
- US /ˈsnɪftəɹ/
Snifter has 2 syllables, split snift·er in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-snifter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with snifter?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as snifter from its last stressed vowel (/ɪftəɹ/):
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 snifter
- snifters present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- sniftering participle, present
- sniftered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does snifter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To sniff; also, to snivel or snuffle.
- 2
archaicrareFollowed by out: to speak (words) in a nasal, snuffling manner.
noun
- 1
ScotlandA sniff.
- 2
ScotlandA strong or severe wind.
- 3
A small, wide, pear-shaped glass used for drinking aromatic liquors such as bourbon and brandy.
- 4
informalSynonym of nip (“a small amount of an alcoholic beverage, especially one equivalent to what a snifter (noun sense 2.2) might hold”)
- 5
USslangSynonym of cocaine addict; a sniffer.
- 6
USslangA small amount of cocaine taken by inhaling through the nose.
- 7
USslangA handheld device used to detect signals from radio transmitters; a sniffer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Snifter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense small, wide, pear-shaped glass:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ballon, pipe à cognac, verre à cognac |
| German | Kognakglas, Kognakschwenker, Nosing-Glas |
| Spanish | coñaquera, copa balón, copa de brandy, copa de coñac |
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 snifter come from?
The verb is derived from Middle English snifteren, snifter, snyfter (“to sniffle”), possibly from *snift (possibly derived from an Old Norse word–compare Old Danish snifte and Swedish snyfta (“to sniffle; to sob”); probably ultimately imitative) + -er- (frequentative suffix) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs). The noun is derived from the verb.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).