swig

/swɪɡ/

//swɪɡ// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"swig" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“swig” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,803. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,803
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To drink (usually by gulping or in a greedy or unrefined manner); to quaff.

Corpus desk

Index EN-swig · swig · English

swig · rank #46,803 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,803
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Swamy

Nearest frequency peer: Swamy (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “swig”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “swig” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

swig vs swim
75% similar
swig vs swot
50% similar
swig vs swing
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for swig
PropertyValue
Headwordswig
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/swɪɡ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#46,803
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “swig”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).swiglands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Swamy” (#46,802), “suiting” (#46,800), “tash” (#46,806). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “swig” is #46,803. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around swig (IPA /swɪɡ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #46,803 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for swig, with forms such as "siwg", "sswig", and "swgi". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "swim", "swot", "swing", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown, mid 16th c. Perhaps connected with Old English swelgan (“to swallow”). The correct English form is swig, spelled S-W-I-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    To drink (usually by gulping or in a greedy or unrefined manner); to quaff.
  2. 2
    To suck.
  3. 3
    To take up the last bit of slack in rigging by taking a single turn around a cleat, then hauling on the line above and below the cleat while keeping tension on the line.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how swig appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. That sailor can swig whisky with the best of 'em.
  2. As sucking Colts leap when they swig the Teat

Etymology

Unknown, mid 16th c. Perhaps connected with Old English swelgan (“to swallow”).

This word in other languages

lamper(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • siwg
  • sswig
  • swgi
  • swigg
  • swwig
  • wsig

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of swig - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

siwg2sswig1swgi2swigg1swwig1wsig2
Edit distance from "swig"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "swig"?
"swig" is spelled S-W-I-G. The IPA pronunciation is /swɪɡ/.
What does "swig" mean?
As a verb, "swig" means: To drink (usually by gulping or in a greedy or unrefined manner); to quaff.
What words are commonly confused with "swig"?
"swig" is commonly confused with "swim", "swot", "swing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "swig"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "swig" is /swɪɡ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "swig"?
Unknown, mid 16th c. Perhaps connected with Old English swelgan (“to swallow”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "swig", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tash#46,806tass#46,807Tsui#46,827SETI#46,770

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

unsee6 variantswerk6 variantsYulia6 variantsplop6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list