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squadron

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

8 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "squadron", 8-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "squadron" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "squadron" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

squadron is aEnglishnoun. It means: A body of troops drawn up in a square. Pronounced /ˈskwɒd.ɹən/.

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Key facts for squadron
PropertyValue
Headwordsquadron
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskwɒd.ɹən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,470
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of squadron in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for squadron is 8 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈskwɒd.ɹən/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,470 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 12 documented wrong-spelling variants for squadron, with forms such as "qsuadron", "sqaudron", and "sqquadron". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Italian squadrone. See squad. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is squadron, spelled S-Q-U-A-D-R-O-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A 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
  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
    A spaceforce unit; multiple squadrons make up an operations delta or a support garrison.

Etymology

From Italian squadrone. See squad.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: qsuadron,sqaudron,sqquadron,squaddron,squadorn,squadrno,squadronn,squadrron,squardon,squdaron,ssquadron,suqadron

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for squadron

Misspelling Variants of "squadron"

qsuadron8sqaudron8sqquadron9squaddron9squadorn8squadrno8squadronn9squadrron9
Misspelling Variants of "squadron"

Frequency rank: #11,470 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "squadron"?
"squadron" is spelled S-Q-U-A-D-R-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskwɒd.ɹən/.
What does "squadron" mean?
As a noun, "squadron" means: A body of troops drawn up in a square.
What are common misspellings of "squadron"?
Common misspellings include "qsuadron", "sqaudron", "sqquadron", "squaddron", "squadorn". The correct spelling is "squadron".
How do you pronounce "squadron"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "squadron" is /ˈskwɒd.ɹən/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "squadron"?
From Italian squadrone. See squad. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.