wigwam
/ˈwɪɡwɑːm/noun, verb
wigwam is spelled W-I-G-W-A-M: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 68,248th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, wigwam means “A dwelling having an arched framework overlaid with bark, hides, or mats, used by Native Americans in the northeastern United States” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of wigwam is wigwams.
How many letters and syllables are in wigwam?
| Letters | 6: W-I-G-W-A-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 68,248th 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 wigwam?
Wigwam appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 68,248th 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 wigwam?
- /ˈwɪɡwɑːm/
Wigwam 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-wigwam.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of wigwam
- wigwams plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- wigwamming participle, present
- wigwammed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wigwam mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A dwelling having an arched framework overlaid with bark, hides, or mats, used by Native Americans in the northeastern United States.
- 2
datedAny more or less similar dwelling used by indigenous people in other parts of the world.
The Fuegian wigwam resembles, in size and dimensions, a haycock. It merely consists of a few broken branches stuck in the ground, and very imperfectly thatched on one side with a few tufts of grass and rushes.
verb
- 1
To dry (flax or straw) by standing it outside in the shape of a wigwam.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wigwam in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Native American dwelling:
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 wigwam come from?
Borrowed from Abenaki wigwôm (“house”) or Penobscot wigwom (“house”), from Proto-Algonquian *wi·kiwa·ʔmi (“house”). Doublet of wickiup.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).