swap
/ˈswɑp/verb, noun
swap is spelled S-W-A-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 8.7 times per million words in written English, the 7,797th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, swap means “To exchange or give (something) in an non-normal exchange (for something else)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in swap?
| Letters | 4: S-W-A-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 8.7 times per million words; the 7,797th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 swap?
Swap appears 8.7 times per million words in written English, the 7,797th 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 swap?
- UK /ˈswɒp/
- US /ˈswɑp/
Swap has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Mélange_a_trois-swap.wav, En-us-swap.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with swap?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as swap from its last stressed vowel (/ɑp/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: paws, wasp.
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 swap
- swaps present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- swapping participle, present
- swapped participle, past
- swop
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does swap mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To exchange or give (something) in an non-normal exchange (for something else).
- 2
obsoleteTo hit, to strike.
- 3
obsoleteTo beat the air, or ply the wings, with a sweeping motion or noise; to flap.
- 4
obsoleteTo descend or fall; to rush hastily or violently.
noun
- 1
An exchange of two comparable things.
- 2
A financial derivative in which two parties agree to exchange one stream of non-normal cashflow against another stream.
- 3
informalSpace available in a swap file for use as auxiliary memory.
How much swap do you need?
- 4
A social meal at a restaurant between two university societies, usually involving drinking and banter; commonly associated with fining and pennying; equivalent to a crewdate at Oxford University.
- 5
UKobsoleteA blow; a stroke.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Swap in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | permuter , échange |
| German | tauschen, austauschen, vertauschen, wechseln , Tausch, Tauschgeschäft |
| Portuguese | trocar, intercambiar , troca , swap |
| Spanish | canjear, cambalachear, permutar , cambalache, canje, permutación |
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 swap come from?
From Middle English swappen (“to swap”), originally meaning "to hurl" or "to strike", the word alludes to striking hands together when making an exchange; probably from Old English *swappian, a secondary form of Old English swāpan (“to swoop”). Cognate with German schwappen (“to slosh, slop”). Compare also Middle English swippen (“to strike, hit”), from Old English swipian (“to scourge, strike, beat, lash”), Old Norse svipa (“to swoop, flash, whip, look after, look around”). More at swipe.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).