wallow
/ˈwɒ.ləʊ/verb, noun, adjective
wallow is spelled W-A-L-L-O-W: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, wallow means “To roll oneself about in something dirty, for example in mud” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in wallow?
| Letters | 6: W-A-L-L-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,998th 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 wallow?
Wallow appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th 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 wallow?
- UK /ˈwɒ.ləʊ/
Wallow has 2 syllables (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-wallow.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with wallow?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as wallow from its last stressed vowel (/ɒləʊ/, British pronunciation):
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 wallow
- wallows present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- wallowing participle, present
- wallowed participle, past
- waller
- more wallow comparative
- most wallow superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wallow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To roll oneself about in something dirty, for example in mud.
Pigs wallow in the mud.
- 2
To move lazily or heavily in any medium.
- 3
To immerse oneself in, to occupy oneself with, metaphorically.
She wallowed in her misery.
- 4
To live or exist in filth or in a sickening manner.
- 5
UKTo fade, fade away, wither, droop; fail to flourish.
noun
- 1
An instance of wallowing.
- 2
A pool of water or mud in which animals wallow, or the depression left by them in the ground.
- 3
A kind of rolling walk.
adjective
- 1
Tasteless, flat.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wallow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | se vautrer , se complaire |
| German | sich wälzen, sich suhlen , Suhle, Bad |
| Portuguese | chafurdar |
| Spanish | revolcarse , dejarse abrumar |
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 wallow come from?
From Middle English walowen, walewen, walwen, welwen, from Old English wealwian (“to roll”), from Proto-West Germanic *walwōn, variant of *walwijan, from Proto-Germanic *walwijaną (“to roll”), from Proto-Indo-European *welw-, from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Cognate with Latin volvō (“roll, tumble”, verb).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).