whirlwind
/ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/noun, adjective
whirlwind is spelled W-H-I-R-L-W-I-N-D: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, whirlwind means “A windstorm of limited extent, such as a tornado, dust devil, or waterspout, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of whirlwind is whirlwinds.
How many letters and syllables are in whirlwind?
| Letters | 9: W-H-I-R-L-W-I-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is whirlwind?
Whirlwind appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th 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 whirlwind?
- UK /ˈwɜːlwɪnd/
- US /ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/
Whirlwind 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)-Vininn126-whirlwind.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of whirlwind
- whirlwinds plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does whirlwind mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A windstorm of limited extent, such as a tornado, dust devil, or waterspout, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward current in the center; a vortex of air.
- 2
A person or body of objects or events sweeping violently onward.
Once he got that new scooter he turned into a whirlwind and damaged all the flowers.
adjective
- 1
Rapid and minimal.
a whirlwind tour, a whirlwind romance
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Whirlwind in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cyclone |
| German | Wirbelwind, Wirbelsturm |
| Portuguese | turbilhão |
| Spanish | torbellino , tromba |
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 whirlwind come from?
From Middle English whirlewind, whirlewynde, equivalent to whirl + wind. Compare Middle Dutch wervelwint, Old Norse hvirfilvindr.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).