squalid
/ˈskwɒlɪd/adjective, noun
squalid is spelled S-Q-U-A-L-I-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, squalid means “Extremely dirty and unpleasant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in squalid?
| Letters | 7: S-Q-U-A-L-I-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,073rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 squalid?
Squalid appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd 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 squalid?
- /ˈskwɒlɪd/
Squalid 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-squalid.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of squalid
- squalider comparative
- squalidest superlative
- squalids plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does squalid mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Extremely dirty and unpleasant.
- 2
Showing or characterized by a contemptible lack of moral standards.
a squalid attempt to buy votes
noun
- 1
Any member of the family Squalidae of dogfish sharks.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Squalid in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense extremely dirty:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sordide, dégueulasse |
| Portuguese | esquálido, imundo |
| Spanish | inmundo, vil, mugriento, mugroso, cochambroso, escuálido |
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 squalid come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin squālidus, from squālēre (“to be rough or dirty”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).