swear word
/swɛə(ɹ)wɜːd/
"swear-word" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“swear word” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A word considered obscene and vulgar or offensive.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | swear word |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /swɛə(ɹ)wɜːd/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “swear word” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
swear word is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /swɛə(ɹ)wɜːd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A word considered obscene and vulgar or offensive.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for swear word in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is swear word, spelled S-W-E-A-R- -W-O-R-D.
Definition
- 1A word considered obscene and vulgar or offensive.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “swear word”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-W-E-A-R- -W-O-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /swɛə(ɹ)wɜːd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.