square

/skwɛə/

//skwɛə// noun

"square" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“square” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,541 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,541
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A polygon with four straight sides of equal length and four right angles; an equilateral rectangle; a regular quadrilateral.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

square vs sure
67% similar
square vs stare
67% similar
square vs squat
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for square
PropertyValue
Headwordsquare
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/skwɛə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,541
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “square” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). square lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for square is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /skwɛə/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,541 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 27 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for square, with forms such as "qsuare", "sqaure", and "sqquare". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "sure", "stare", "squat", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English square, sqware, squyre; from Old French esquarre, esquerre, (modern French équerre), from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from Latin ex- + quadro, from quadrus (compare English quad and quadra). Doublet of squad and squadra. Displaced Old Englis… The correct English form is square, spelled S-Q-U-A-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A polygon with four straight sides of equal length and four right angles; an equilateral rectangle; a regular quadrilateral.
  2. 2
    Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form.
  3. 3
    Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form.
  4. 4
    Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form.
  5. 5
    Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form.
  6. 6
    Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form.
  7. 7
    An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles.
  8. 8
    An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles.
  9. 9
    An open space or park, often in the center of a town, not necessarily square in shape, often containing trees, seating and other features pleasing to the eye.
  10. 10
    An open space or park, often in the center of a town, not necessarily square in shape, often containing trees, seating and other features pleasing to the eye.
  11. 11
    The product of a number or quantity multiplied by itself; the second power of a number, value, term or expression.
  12. 12
    A pattern to be matched that consists of a subpattern repeated, such as "papa" or "wikiwiki".
  13. 13
    A body of troops drawn up in a square formation.
  14. 14
    A socially conventional or conservative person; a person who has little or no interest in the latest fads or trends.
  15. 15
    The symbol # on a telephone; hash.
  16. 16
    The central area of a cricket field, with one or more pitches of which only one is used at a time.
  17. 17
    A unit of measurement of area, equal to a 10 foot by 10 foot square, i.e. 100 square feet or roughly 9.3 square metres. Used in real estate for the size of a house or its rooms, though progressively being replaced by square metres in metric countries such as Australia.
  18. 18
    A unit used in measuring roof area equivalent to 100 square feet (9.29 m²) of roof area. The materials for roofing jobs are often billed by the square in the United States.
  19. 19
    A mortarboard.
  20. 20
    Ellipsis of square meal.
  21. 21
    Exact proportion; justness of workmanship and conduct; regularity; rule.
  22. 22
    The relation of harmony, or exact agreement; equality; level.
  23. 23
    The position of planets distant ninety degrees from each other; a quadrate.
  24. 24
    The act of squaring, or quarrelling; a quarrel.
  25. 25
    Cigarette.
  26. 26
    A vat used for fermentation.
  27. 27
    A well-defined torso.

Etymology

From Middle English square, sqware, squyre; from Old French esquarre, esquerre, (modern French équerre), from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from Latin ex- + quadro, from quadrus (compare English quad and quadra). Doublet of squad and squadra. Displaced Old English fēowerecge (fēower nominative + ecg accusative, as in "four-edged").

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: qsuare,sqaure,sqquare,squaer,squarre,squrae,ssquare,suqare

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of square - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

qsuare2sqaure2sqquare1squaer2squarre1squrae2ssquare1suqare2
Edit distance from "square"

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

How do you spell "square"?
"square" is spelled S-Q-U-A-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /skwɛə/.
What does "square" mean?
As a noun, "square" means: A polygon with four straight sides of equal length and four right angles; an equilateral rectangle; a regular quadrilateral.
What words are commonly confused with "square"?
"square" is commonly confused with "sure", "stare", "squat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "square"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "square" is /skwɛə/. 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 "square"?
From Middle English square, sqware, squyre; from Old French esquarre, esquerre, (modern French équerre), from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from Latin ex- + quadro, from quadrus (compare English quad and quadra). Doublet of squad and squadra. Displaced ... 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.

Using “square”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-Q-U-A-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /skwɛə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “sure” - see the side-by-side comparison. square vs sure
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list