squib
/skwɪb/noun, verb
squib is spelled S-Q-U-I-B: 5 letters. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, squib means “A small firework that is intended to spew sparks rather than explode” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of squib is squibs.
How many letters and syllables are in squib?
| Letters | 5: S-Q-U-I-B |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 67,454th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is squib?
Squib appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce squib?
- /skwɪb/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-squib.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of squib
- squibs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- squibbing participle, present
- squibbed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does squib mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small firework that is intended to spew sparks rather than explode.
English Navy squibs set fire to two dozen enemy ships in a Dutch harbor during the 16th-century battle against the Spanish Armada.
- 2
A similar device used to ignite an explosive or launch a rocket, etc.
- 3
A kind of slow match or safety fuse.
- 4
USAny small firecracker sold to the general public, usually in special clusters designed to explode in series after a single master fuse is lit.
- 5
A malfunction in which the fired projectile does not have enough force behind it to exit the barrel, and thus becomes stuck.
- 6
The heating element used to set off the sodium azide pellets in a vehicle's airbag.
- 7
In special effects, a small explosive used to replicate a bullet hitting a surface or a gunshot wound on an actor.
- 8
datedA short piece of witty writing; a lampoon.
verb
- 1
To make a sound like a small explosion.
A Snider squibbed in the jungle.
- 2
colloquialdatedTo throw squibs; to utter sarcastic or severe reflections; to contend in petty dispute.
to squib a little debate
- 3
AustraliaTo dodge something difficult, to bottle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Squib in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Knallfrosch , Zündschnur , Glosse |
| Portuguese | pílula |
| French | notule |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does squib come from?
Possibly imitative of a small explosion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).