sward
/swɔɹd/noun, verb
sward is spelled S-W-A-R-D: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 102,771st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sward means “Earth which grass has grown into the upper layer of; greensward, sod, turf; (countable) a portion of such earth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sward is swards.
How many letters and syllables are in sward?
| Letters | 5: S-W-A-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 102,771st 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 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 sward?
Sward appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 102,771st 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 sward?
- UK /swɔːd/
- US /swɔɹd/
Sward 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-sward.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sward?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sward from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹd/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: draws, wards.
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 sward
- swards plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- swarth
- swart
- swerd
- swarding participle, present
- swarded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sward mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Earth which grass has grown into the upper layer of; greensward, sod, turf; (countable) a portion of such earth.
- 2
An expanse of land covered in grass; a lawn or meadow.
- 3
obsoleteThe upper layer of the ground, especially when vegetation is growing on it.
- 4
The rind of bacon or pork; also, the outer covering or skin of something.
- 5
A homosexual man.
verb
- 1
To cover (ground, etc.) with sward.
- 2
Of ground, etc.: to be covered with sward; to develop a covering of sward.
[Land...] will not sward again […]
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sward in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 sward come from?
The noun is derived from Middle English swerd, sward (“rind, skin; leather strap; sod, turf”) [and other forms], from Old English sweard (“rind; skin”), from Proto-Germanic *swarduz (“rind; tough skin; turf”); further etymology unknown. The verb is derived from the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).