weevil
wee·vil/ˈwiːvɪl/noun
weevil is spelled W-E-E-V-I-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables (wee·vil). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,267th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, weevil means “Any of many tens of thousands of species of herbivorous beetles, ranging in size from tiny to large, in the superfamily Curculionoidea, the most…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of weevil is weevils.
How many letters and syllables are in weevil?
| Letters | 6: W-E-E-V-I-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: wee·vil |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 40,267th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 weevil?
Weevil appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,267th 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 weevil?
- UK /ˈwiːv(ə)l/
- US /ˈwiːvɪl/
Weevil has 2 syllables, split wee·vil in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-weevil.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of weevil
- weevils plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does weevil mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of many tens of thousands of species of herbivorous beetles, ranging in size from tiny to large, in the superfamily Curculionoidea, the most characteristic species having the head projecting in a distinctive snout with the mouthparts at the tip.
- 2
Any of many tens of thousands of species of herbivorous beetles of various sizes, in the family Curculionidae within the superfamily Curculionoidea.
- 3
Any of many similar, but more distantly related, beetles such as the biscuit weevil (Stegobium paniceum).
- 4
derogatoryA loathsome person.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Weevil in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | charançon, balanin, cosson |
| German | Rüsselkäfer |
| Portuguese | gorgulho |
| Spanish | gorgojo , picudo |
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 weevil come from?
From Middle English wevel, from Old English wifel (“beetle”), from Proto-West Germanic *wibil, from Proto-Germanic *wibilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *webʰel-, from *(h₁)webʰ- (“to wave, to weave”), said to be from the woven appearance of a weevil’s larval case, + *-el-, *-l̥- (diminutive or attributive suffix); see also wave and weave.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).