squat

/skwɑt/adjective, noun, verb

squat is spelled S-Q-U-A-T: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, squat means “Relatively short or low, and thick or broad” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in squat?

Letters	5: S-Q-U-A-T
Syllables	1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing	3.0 times per million words; the 15,368th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searched	none measured in search
Rhymes with	not got lot shot more

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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is squat?

Squat appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th most frequent word form in the list.

squat0.0010.010.11101001,00010,000

rarerper million words of written Englishmore common

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce squat?

UK /skwɒt/
US /skwɑt/
Australia /skwɔt/

Squat has one syllable (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: En-us-squat.ogg, En-au-squat.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with squat

Also written: diddly-squat.

Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with squat?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as squat from its last stressed vowel (/ɑt/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of squat

squatter comparative
squattest superlative
squats plural, present, singular, he/she/it
squatting participle, present
squatted participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does squat mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

1
Relatively short or low, and thick or broad.
2
Sitting on one's heels; sitting close to the ground; cowering or crouching.

noun

1
A position assumed by bending deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet.
2
Any of various modes of callisthenic exercises performed by moving the body and bending at least one knee.
3
A specific exercise in weightlifting performed by bending deeply at the knees and then rising (back squat), especially with a barbell resting across the shoulders (barbell back squat).
4
A building occupied without permission, as practiced by a squatter.
5
A place of concealment in which a hare spends time when inactive, especially during the day; a form.
6
A toilet used by squatting as opposed to sitting; a squat toilet.
7
CanadaUSslangClipping of diddly-squat; something of no value.
I know squat about nuclear physics.
8
A small vein of ore.
9
The angel shark (genus Squatina).

verb

1
To bend deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet.
2
To exercise by bending deeply at the knees and then rising, while bearing weight across the shoulders or upper back.
3
To lift (a barbell) while performing a squat
I can squat 150 lbs.
4
To occupy or reside in a place without the permission of the owner.
5
To sit close to the ground; to stoop, or lie close to the ground, for example to escape observation.
6
datedTo bruise or flatten by a fall; to squash.
7
To cybersquat.
8
slangTo retire a modeling kit or group of modeling kits.
I can't believe they squatted my favorite faction!