squid
/skwɪd/noun, verb
squid is spelled S-Q-U-I-D: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, squid means “Any of several carnivorous marine cephalopod mollusks, of the order Teuthida, having a mantle, eight arms, and a pair of tentacles” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of squid is squids.
How many letters and syllables are in squid?
| Letters | 5: S-Q-U-I-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is squid?
Squid appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th 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 squid?
- /skwɪd/
Squid 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-squid.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of squid
- squids plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- squidding participle, present
- squidded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does squid mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of several carnivorous marine cephalopod mollusks, of the order Teuthida, having a mantle, eight arms, and a pair of tentacles
- 2
A fishhook with a piece of bright lead, bone, or other substance fastened on its shank to imitate a squid.
- 3
USderogatoryslangA sailor in the Navy.
- 4
UKrareslangA quid; one pound sterling.
Can you lend me five squid? I feel like a bacon sarnie.
- 5
A vampire squid.
- 6
derogatoryslangA motorcyclist, especially a sport biker, characterized by reckless riding and lack of protective gear.
"In my mind, a street squid is anyone who races on the street. Period."¹
- 7
A South Korean children's game where players, divided into offense and defense, compete on a squid-shaped field; the offensive team tries to reach a designated area, and the defensive team attempts to block them.
verb
- 1
To fish with a squid fishhook.
- 2
To cause squidding (an improper, partial, parachute inflation, that results in the sides of the parachute folding in on the center, and pulsating back and forth).
noun
- 1
Acronym of superconducting quantum interference device, a sensor that uses certain quantum effects to detect small magnetic fields.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Squid in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense sea animal:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | seiche, encornet, calmar |
| German | Kalmar, Tintenfisch |
| Portuguese | lula |
| Spanish | calamar, chipirón, jibión |
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 squid come from?
Unknown. Perhaps a sailors' alteration of squirt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).