# squander

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈskwɒnd.ə/ · frequency rank #40,029

## Definitions
1. To waste, lavish, splurge; to spend lavishly or profusely; to dissipate.
2. To scatter; to disperse.
3. To wander at random; to scatter.

## Etymology
Earliest uses (late 16th c.) "to spend recklessly or prodigiously", also "to scatter over a wide area". Of unknown origin. Perhaps a blend of scatter + wander.
Compare Danish skvætte (rare)/skvatte (“to splash”) (nominalised: skvæt), Icelandic skvetta (“to squirt”), Swedish skvätta (“to splash”), Norwegian Bokmål skvette.

## Easily confused with
- **sander** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sander-vs-squander)
- **slander** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slander-vs-squander)

## Common misspellings (12)
`qsuander`, `sqaunder`, `sqquander`, `squadner`, `squandder`, `squanderr`, `squandre`, `squanedr`, `squannder`, `squnader`, `ssquander`, `suqander`

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