swamp
/ˈswɑmp/noun, verb
swamp is spelled S-W-A-M-P: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 6.9 times per million words in written English, the 9,045th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, swamp means “An area of wet (water-saturated), spongy (soft) land, often with trees, generally a rich ecosystem for certain plants and animals but ill-suited for…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of swamp is swamps.
How many letters and syllables are in swamp?
| Letters | 5: S-W-A-M-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 6.9 times per million words; the 9,045th 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; 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 swamp?
Swamp appears 6.9 times per million words in written English, the 9,045th 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 swamp?
- UK /ˈswɒmp/
- US /ˈswɑmp/
Swamp has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-swamp.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with swamp?
8 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as swamp from its last stressed vowel (/ɑmp/):
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 swamp
- swamps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- swamping participle, present
- swamped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does swamp mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An area of wet (water-saturated), spongy (soft) land, often with trees, generally a rich ecosystem for certain plants and animals but ill-suited for many agricultural purposes. (A type of wetland. Compare marsh, bog, fen.)
Some small Marshes and Swamps there are, but more profitable than hurtfull.
- 2
A place or situation that is foul or where progress is difficult.
- 3
USThe alleged corruption, cronyism, inefficiency, and entrenched interests in the federal government, especially in Washington, DC.
verb
- 1
To drench or fill with water.
The boat was swamped in the storm.
- 2
To overwhelm; to make too busy, or overrun the capacity of.
I have been swamped with paperwork ever since they started using the new system.
- 3
To plunge into difficulties and perils; to overwhelm; to ruin; to wreck.
- 4
To clear (a road or an area) of brush, particularly so as to create a path for loggers to be able to access trees.
I guess I've done it all. Drove teams, drove grabs (device used to fasten a trail of logs together), swamped (cleared the ground of underbrush and fallen trees for road construction).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Swamp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | marécage, marais , submerger |
| German | Sumpf, Moor , überfluten, überschwemmen |
| Portuguese | pântano, paul , afundar |
| Spanish | embalsadero, pantano, popal, suampo, akalché, certeneja |
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 swamp come from?
Early attestations (starting in 1624) are from North America, but the term was probably in local use in Britain earlier.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).