squall
/ˈskwɔːl/
"squall" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“squall” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #43,384 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #43,384
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 12
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cry or wail loudly.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | squall |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈskwɔːl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #43,384 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 12 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “squall” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for squall is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈskwɔːl/. Corpus data places it at rank #43,384 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for squall, with forms such as "qsuall", "sqaull", and "sqquall". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "stall", "squat", "squaw", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *squalen and squelen (“to cry, scream, squall”), from Old Norse skvala (“to cry out”), probably ultimately imitative with influence from squeal and bawl. Cognate with Swedish skvala (“to gush, pour down”), Norwegian skval (“sudden rush o… The correct English form is squall, spelled S-Q-U-A-L-L.
Definition
- 1To cry or wail loudly.
- 2To fall suddenly and forcefully, as if a squall.
Etymology
From Middle English *squalen and squelen (“to cry, scream, squall”), from Old Norse skvala (“to cry out”), probably ultimately imitative with influence from squeal and bawl. Cognate with Swedish skvala (“to gush, pour down”), Norwegian skval (“sudden rush of water”). The noun is probably from the verb.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: qsuall,sqaull,sqquall,squal,squlal,ssquall,suqall
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of squall - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “squall”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-Q-U-A-L-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈskwɔːl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “stall” - see the side-by-side comparison. squall vs stall
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.