squirm
/skwɝm/verb, noun
squirm is spelled S-Q-U-I-R-M: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, squirm means “To twist one's body with snakelike motions” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in squirm?
| Letters | 6: S-Q-U-I-R-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 squirm?
Squirm appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd 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 squirm?
- UK /skwɜːm/
- US /skwɝm/
Squirm 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-squirm.ogg, En-au-squirm.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with squirm?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as squirm from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹm/):
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 squirm
- squirms present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- squirming participle, present
- squirmed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does squirm mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To twist one's body with snakelike motions.
The prisoner managed to squirm out of the straitjacket.
- 2
To twist in discomfort, especially from shame or embarrassment.
I recounted the embarrassing story in detail just to watch him squirm.
- 3
To evade a question, an interviewer etc.
noun
- 1
A twisting, snakelike movement of the body.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Squirm in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gigoter, remuer, se tortiller , louvoyer |
| German | sich winden |
| Portuguese | serpentear, contorcer, retorcer, ondular, ondear |
| Spanish | serpentear, retorcerse , escabullirse , avergonzarse |
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 squirm come from?
First recorded 1690's, originally used of eels; cognate with Scots squimmer (“to wriggle, squirm”). Of uncertain origin. Compare dialectal quirm, whirm (“to disappear quickly, vanish suddenly and mysteriously”), Norwegian kverva (“to turn around, take away, remove, shrink”), from Old Norse hverfa (“to turn, vanish”). Alternatively, perhaps imitative or related to worm (in the sense of writhing movement) or swarm.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).