swirl
/swɝl/verb, noun
swirl is spelled S-W-I-R-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, swirl means “To twist or whirl, as an eddy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in swirl?
| Letters | 5: S-W-I-R-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 23,536th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 swirl?
Swirl appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th 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 swirl?
- UK /swɜːl/
- US /swɝl/
- /swøːl/
Swirl 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-swirl.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with swirl?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as swirl from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹl/):
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 swirl
- swirls present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- swirling participle, present
- swirled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does swirl mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To twist or whirl, as an eddy.
I swirled my brush around in the paint.
- 2
To be arranged in a twist, spiral or whorl.
- 3
To circulate.
- 4
datedTo mingle interracially.
noun
- 1
A whirling eddy.
- 2
A twist or coil of something.
- 3
The upward rushing of a fish through the water to take the bait.
- 4
datedInterracial mingling (e.g. dating, sex, marriage, etc.).
She told that white boy she wasn't down with the swirl and to take himself a hike.
- 5
Synonym of pinwheel (“food product with spiral layers”).
I'm baking some cheese swirls.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Swirl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tourbillonner , tourbillon, remous |
| Spanish | girar, rotar, arremolinar, remolinear , remolino , arremolinarse |
| German | Wirbel |
| Portuguese | redemoinho, remoinho |
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 swirl come from?
From Middle English swirlen (“to eddy, swirl”), probably from Old Norse *svirla (“to swirl”), a frequentative form of Old Norse sverra (“to swing, twirl”). Cognate with Scots swirl, sworl (“to eddy, swirl”), Norwegian Nynorsk svirla (“to whirl around; swirl”), Swedish sorla (“to murmur, buzz”), Dutch zwirrelen (“to swirl”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).