# snow

> English word · Noun · IPA /snəʊ̯/ · frequency rank #2,231

## Definitions
1. The partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes; also, the falling of such flakes; and the accumulation of them on the ground or on objects as a white layer.
2. The partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes; also, the falling of such flakes; and the accumulation of them on the ground or on objects as a white layer.
3. The partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes; also, the falling of such flakes; and the accumulation of them on the ground or on objects as a white layer.
4. The partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes; also, the falling of such flakes; and the accumulation of them on the ground or on objects as a white layer.
5. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
6. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
7. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
8. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
9. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
10. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
11. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
12. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
13. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
14. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
15. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
16. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.
17. Something resembling snow (etymology 1 sense 1) in appearance or color.

## Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English snaw, snou, snow (“snow; accumulation of snow; snowfall; snowstorm; whiteness”), from Old English snāw (“snow”), from Proto-West Germanic *snaiw (“snow”), from Proto-Germanic *snaiwaz (“snow”), from Proto-Indo-European *snóygʷʰos (“snow”), from *sneygʷʰ- (“to snow”).
The verb is derived from Middle English snouen (“to snow; (figurative) to shower”), from snou, snow (noun) (see above) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs). Displaced Old English snīwan, whence English snew (obsolete).
Verb etymology 1 sense 2.3.2 (“to convince or hoodwink (someone)”) probably refers to a person being blinded or confused by a snowstorm.
The adjective comes from the phrase a snowball's chance in hell, also see snowball clause at Wikipedia.
Cognates
* Scots snaw (“snow”)
* Yola sneew, sneow, snow, snowe (“snow”)
* North Frisian Sne, sni, snii, snii'e, snä, snäi (“snow”)
* Saterland Frisian Snee (“snow”)
* West Frisian snie (“snow”)
* Alemannic German schnee, schnei, schnia, schné, schnìj (“snow”)
* Bavarian schnea, sghneab (“snow”)
* Cimbrian snea, snèa (“snow”)
* Dutch snee, sneeuw (“snow”)
* German Schnee (“snow”)
* Limburgish Schnië, snieë (“snow”)
* Luxembourgish Schnéi (“snow”)
* Mòcheno schnea (“snow”)
* Vilamovian śnej, šnej, śnyi (“snow”)
* Yiddish שניי (shney, “snow”)
* Danish sne (“snow”)
* Elfdalian sniųo (“snow”)
* Faroese snjógvur (“snow”)
* Icelandic snjár, snjór, snær (“snow”)
* Norwegian Bokmål sne, snø (“snow”)
* Norwegian Nynorsk snjo, snø (“snow”)
* Swedish snö (“snow”)
* Gothic 𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (snaiws, “snow”)
* Irish sneachta (“snow”)
* Manx sniaghtey (“snow”)
* Scottish Gaelic sneachd, sneachda (“snow”)
* Welsh nyf (“snow”)
* Latin nix (“snow”)
* Ancient Greek νίψ (níps, “snow”)
* Latvian snìegs (“snow”)
* Lithuanian sniẽgas (“snow”)
* Belarusian, Russian, and Macedonian снег (sneg, “snow”)
* Bulgarian сняг (snjag, “snow”)
* Czech sníh (“snow”)
* Polish śnieg, śmiég (“snow”)
* Serbo-Croatian сне̑г, сније̑г, snȇg, snig, snijȇg (“snow”)
* Slovak sneh (“snow”)
* Slovene sneg (“snow”)
* Ukrainian сніг (snih, “snow”)
* Shughni жиниҷ (žiniǰ, “snow”)
* Avestan 𐬯𐬥𐬀𐬉𐬲𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (snaēžaⁱti, “to snow”)
* Sanskrit स्नेह (snéha, “grease, oil”)

## Easily confused with
- **so** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-so)
- **SW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sw)
- **son** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-son)
- **sox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sox)
- **sol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sol)
- **soy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-soy)
- **SNP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-snp)
- **sow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sow)
- **SOS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sos)
- **SOB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sob)
- **sod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sod)
- **som** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-som)
- **soe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-soe)
- **sop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sop)
- **soi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-soi)
- **SoA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-soa)
- **sou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sou)
- **Snr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-snr)
- **SNS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sns)
- **sor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snow-vs-sor)

## Common misspellings (6)
`nsow`, `snnow`, `snoww`, `snwo`, `sonw`, `ssnow`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/snow