squeamish
/ˈskwiːmɪʃ/
"squeamish" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“squeamish” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #45,674 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #45,674
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseated or nervous; oversensitive.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | squeamish |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈskwiːmɪʃ/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #45,674 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “squeamish” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for squeamish is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈskwiːmɪʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #45,674 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 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
- 1Easily shocked, sickened or frightened; tending to be nauseated or nervous; oversensitive.
- 2Averse or reluctant.
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
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.
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"?
What does "squeamish" mean?
What are common misspellings of "squeamish"?
How do you pronounce "squeamish"?
What is the origin of the word "squeamish"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “squeamish”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-Q-U-E-A-M-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈskwiːmɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.