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whorl

/(h)wɔː(ɹ)l/noun, verb

whorl is spelled W-H-O-R-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “whirl vs whorl” about 70 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, whorl means “Each circle, volution or equivalent in a pattern of concentric circles, ovals, arcs, or a spiral” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of whorl is whorls.

How many letters and syllables are in whorl?

Letters5: W-H-O-R-L
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writingabout once in every 3 million words; the 49,368th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).

How common is whorl?

Whorl appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th 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 whorl?

  • /(h)wɔː(ɹ)l/
  • /(h)wɜː(ɹ)l/

Whorl 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-whorl.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-whorl2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with whorl

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

whirl vs whorl70 G

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

Forms of whorl

  • whorls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • whorling participle, present
  • whorled participle, past

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

What does whorl mean?

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

noun

  1. 1

    Each circle, volution or equivalent in a pattern of concentric circles, ovals, arcs, or a spiral.

  2. 2

    A circle of three or more leaves, flowers, or other organs, about the same part or joint of a stem.

  3. 3

    A volution, or turn, of the spire of a univalve shell.

  4. 4

    Any volution, as for example in the human ear or fingerprint.

  5. 5

    A flywheel, a weight attached to a spindle.

verb

  1. 1

    To form a pattern of concentric circles.

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

Whorl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchvolute (pattern of concentric circles), verticille (circle of three or more leaves, flowers, or…), tour de spire (volution, or turn, of the spire of a univalve…), fusaïole (weight attached to a spindle)
GermanWirbel, Kringel, Windung (pattern of concentric circles), Spinnwirtel (weight attached to a spindle)
Portugueseverticilo (circle of three or more leaves, flowers, or…), fusaiola (weight attached to a spindle)
Spanishfusayola, tortera (weight attached to a spindle)

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 whorl come from?

From alteration of whirl (verb).

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

What to look up after whorl