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squadron

UK /ˈskwɒd.ɹən/noun, verb

squadron is spelled S-Q-U-A-D-R-O-N: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.9 times per million words in written English, the 11,373rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, squadron means “A body of cavalry comprising two companies or troops, averaging from one hundred and twenty to two hundred soldiers” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of squadron is squadrons.

How many letters and syllables are in squadron?

Letters8: S-Q-U-A-D-R-O-N
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing4.9 times per million words; the 11,373rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 squadron?

Squadron appears 4.9 times per million words in written English, the 11,373rd 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 squadron?

  • UK /ˈskwɒd.ɹən/

Squadron has 2 syllables (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: En-us-squadron.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of squadron

  • squadrons plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • sqn
  • squadroning participle, present
  • squadroned participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does squadron mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    obsoleteA body of troops drawn up in a square.

  2. 2

    A body of cavalry comprising two companies or troops, averaging from one hundred and twenty to two hundred soldiers.

  3. 3

    A body of infantrymen made up of several platoons, averaging from eighty to one hundred and fifty men, and led by a captain or a major.

  4. 4

    A detachment of vessels employed on any particular service or station, under the command of the senior officer

    the North Atlantic Squadron

  5. 5

    A tactical air force unit; consists of at least two flights; multiple squadrons make up a group or wing (depending on particular air force).

  6. 6

    USA spaceforce unit; multiple squadrons make up an operations delta or a support garrison.

verb

  1. 1

    To divide up into squadrons.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate squadron?

Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of squadron: sqdn., sqn.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Squadron in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchescadron (army: body of cavalry), escadre (navy: detachment of vessels)
GermanSchwadron (army: body of cavalry), Geschwader (navy: detachment of vessels), Staffel (air force: tactical unit of at least two flights)
Portugueseesquadrão (army: body of cavalry), esquadra (navy: detachment of vessels)
Spanishescuadrón (army: body of cavalry), escuadra (navy: detachment of vessels), cuadrilla (air force: tactical unit of at least two flights)

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 squadron come from?

From Italian squadrone. See squad.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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