squeamish

/ˈskwiːmɪʃ/

//ˈskwiːmɪʃ// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"squeamish" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“squeamish” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,674. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,674
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseated or nervous; oversensitive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-squeamish · squeamish · English

squeamish · rank #45,674 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,674
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH squaring

Nearest frequency peer: squaring (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “squeamish”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “squeamish” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for squeamish
PropertyValue
Headwordsqueamish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈskwiːmɪʃ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#45,674
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “squeamish”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).squeamishlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “squaring” (#45,673), “stockade” (#45,676), “stoicism” (#45,677). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “squeamish” is #45,674. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around squeamish (IPA /ˈskwiːmɪʃ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #45,674 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for squeamish, with forms such as "qsueamish", "sqeuamish", and "sqqueamish". 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. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Origin obscure. Likely a merger of earlier squeamous (“squeamish”), from Middle English squaimous, queimous, from Anglo-Norman escoimus, escoymous, of unknown origin; and dialectal English sweamish, sweemish (“faint, squeamish”), from sweam (“dizziness, sud… The correct English form is squeamish, spelled S-Q-U-E-A-M-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseated or nervous; oversensitive.
  2. 2
    Averse or reluctant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how squeamish appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He might have made a good doctor, had he not been so squeamish at the sight of blood.

Etymology

Origin obscure. Likely a merger of earlier squeamous (“squeamish”), from Middle English squaimous, queimous, from Anglo-Norman escoimus, escoymous, of unknown origin; and dialectal English sweamish, sweemish (“faint, squeamish”), from sweam (“dizziness, sudden qualm of sickness”) and dialectal sweem (“to swoon, be faint, be overcome, feel sick”), from Middle English swemen (“to grieve, make suffer, be faint of heart”), from Old English *swǣman (“to grieve, trouble, afflict”). If so, then related to swim (“to be dizzy, swoon”). See also sweam.

This word in other languages

remilgado(Español)empfindlich(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • qsueamish
  • sqeuamish
  • sqqueamish
  • squaemish
  • squeaimsh
  • squeamihs
  • squeamishh
  • squeamissh
  • squeammish
  • squeamsih
  • squemaish
  • ssqueamish
  • suqeamish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of squeamish - 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.

qsueamish2sqeuamish2sqqueamish1squaemish2squeaimsh2squeamihs2squeamishh1squeamissh1
Edit distance from "squeamish"

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 "squeamish"?
"squeamish" is spelled S-Q-U-E-A-M-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskwiːmɪʃ/.
What does "squeamish" mean?
As an adjective, "squeamish" means: Easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseated or nervous; oversensitive.
What are common misspellings of "squeamish"?
Common misspellings include "qsueamish", "sqeuamish", "sqqueamish", "squaemish", "squeaimsh". The correct spelling is "squeamish".
How do you pronounce "squeamish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "squeamish" is /ˈskwiːmɪʃ/. 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 "squeamish"?
Origin obscure. Likely a merger of earlier squeamous (“squeamish”), from Middle English squaimous, queimous, from Anglo-Norman escoimus, escoymous, of unknown origin; and dialectal English sweamish, sweemish (“faint, squeamish”), from sweam (“dizz... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "squeamish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Stoughton#45,678Strasburg#45,680smokeless#45,667strontium#45,681

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

shrunken13 variantsshrugging13 variantstimeshare13 variantsSchrader13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list