swan
/swɑn/noun, verb
swan is spelled S-W-A-N: 4 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, swan means “Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of swan is swans.
How many letters and syllables are in swan?
| Letters | 4: S-W-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| 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 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 swan?
Swan 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 swan?
- UK /swɒn/
- US /swɑn/
Swan 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-swan.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with swan?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as swan from its last stressed vowel (/ɑn/):
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 swan
- swans plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- swanning participle, present
- swanned participle, past
- swanny
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does swan mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.
- 2
One whose grace etc. suggests a swan.
- 3
This bird used as a heraldic charge, sometimes with a crown around its neck (e. g. the arms of Buckinghamshire).
verb
- 1
To travel or move about in an aimless, idle, or pretentiously casual way.
- 2
UScolloquialTo declare (chiefly in first-person present constructions).
noun
- 1
someone connected with the Sydney Swans, as a fan, player, coach, etc.
- 2
someone connected with Swansea City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.
noun
- 1
Acronym of syndrome without a name.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Swan in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense waterfowl of the genus Cygnus:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cygne, cygne mâle, cygne femelle, cygneau, cygnet, jeune cygne |
| German | Schwan, Schwänin |
| Portuguese | cisne |
| Spanish | cisne |
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 swan come from?
From Middle English swan, from Old English swan, from Proto-West Germanic *swan, from Proto-Germanic *swanaz (“swan”, literally “the singing bird”), from Proto-Indo-European *swonh₂-/*swenh₂- (“to sing, make sound”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).