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PlainSpell

swindle

swin·dle/ˈswɪndəl/verb, noun

swindle is spelled S-W-I-N-D-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (swin·dle). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, swindle means “To defraud” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in swindle?

Letters7: S-W-I-N-D-L-E
Syllables2: swin·dle
In writingabout once in every 2 million words; the 43,187th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

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).

How common is swindle?

Swindle appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th 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 swindle?

  • /ˈswɪndəl/
  • [ˈswɪndəl] ~ [ˈswɪndl̩]

Swindle has 2 syllables, split swin·dle in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-swindle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of swindle

  • swindles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
  • swindling participle, present
  • swindled participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does swindle mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    To defraud.

    The two men swindled the company out of $160,000.

  2. 2

    To obtain (money or property) by fraudulent or deceitful methods.

    She swindled more than £200 out of me.

  3. 3

    For a player in a losing position to play a clever move that provokes an error from the opponent, thus achieving a win or a draw.

noun

  1. 1

    An instance of swindling.

  2. 2

    Anything that is deceptively not what it appears to be.

  3. 3

    An instance wherein a player in a losing position plays a clever move that provokes an error from the opponent, thus achieving a win or a draw.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Swindle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchescroquer, entourlouper (to defraud someone), escroquerie, entourloupe (an instance of swindling)
Germanbetrügen, beschwindeln, erschwindeln (to defraud someone), Schwindel (an instance of swindling), schwindeln (to obtain money or property by fraudulent or…)
Portuguesefraudar (to defraud someone), fraude (an instance of swindling), trapacear (to obtain money or property by fraudulent or…)
Spanishestafar, timar, tangar, petardear, dársela con queso (to defraud someone), timo (an instance of swindling)

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 swindle come from?

Back-formation from swindler, from German Schwindler, from German schwindeln, from Middle High German swindeln, swindelen, from Old High German swintilōn, frequentative of the verb swintan, from Proto-West Germanic *swindan (“to diminish”). See also Modern German schwindeln, Danish svindel and svindle, Dutch zwindelen and zwendelen, Yiddish שווינדל (shvindl), Low German swinneln, Middle English swinden (“to languish, waste away”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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