snivel
/ˈsnɪvəl/verb, noun
snivel is spelled S-N-I-V-E-L: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 40 million words in written English, the 194,306th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, snivel means “To breathe heavily through the nose while it is congested with nasal mucus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in snivel?
| Letters | 6: S-N-I-V-E-L |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 40 million words; the 194,306th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is snivel?
Snivel appears about once in every 40 million words in written English, the 194,306th 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 snivel?
- /ˈsnɪvəl/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-snivel.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of snivel
- snivels present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- sniveling US, participle, present
- snivelling UK, participle, present
- sniveled US, participle, past
- snivelled UK, participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does snivel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To breathe heavily through the nose while it is congested with nasal mucus.
With stinking breath, swart-cheeks, and hanging chaps; With wrinkled neck; and stooping as she goes, With driveling mouth, and with a sniveling nose.
- 2
derogatoryTo cry while sniffling; to whine or complain while crying.
- 3
derogatoryTo say (something) while sniffling or crying.
noun
- 1
The act of snivelling.
- 2
Nasal mucus; snot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Snivel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | tief einatmen, schniefen , schluchzen, flennen, pimmeln |
| Portuguese | fungar |
| French | pleurnicher, chialer colloquial , morve |
| Spanish | lloriquear, gimotear , moco |
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 snivel come from?
From Middle English snivelen, snevelen, snyvelen, snuvelen, from Old English *snyflan (attested in the verbal noun snyflung (“mucus”)), from Proto-West Germanic *snuflijan, related to Old English snofl (“mucus”), ultimately from the root of snout. Akin to sniff, snuff. Compare sniffle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).