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APG.American
Pronunciation Guide
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

squirrel

/ˈskwɝəl/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:50
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Move smoothly through “skw.”

In the two-syllable SKWUR-uhl, begin with s, k, and w as one connected sequence. Follow the strong r-colored vowel with a light vowel before l, keeping the ending relaxed.

2 syllables · Stress on syllable 1

TRY SAYING
“A squirrel climbed the fence.”

APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗

What does squirrel mean?

noun

  1. Any of the rodents of the family Sciuridae.
  2. Any of those distinguished typically by a large bushy tail; any of the tree squirrels of subfamily Sciurinae or phenotypically similar sciurids.
  3. (figuratively) Someone who displays squirrel-like qualities such as stealing or hoarding objects.
More meanings (4)

noun

  1. One of the small rollers of a carding machine which work with the large cylinder.
  2. (derogatory) A person, usually a freezoner, who applies L. Ron Hubbard's technology in a heterodox manner.

verb

  1. (figuratively) To store in a secretive manner, to hide something for future use.
  2. (figuratively) To become distracted.
Wiktionary contributors

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈskwɝəl/

Pronunciation used in the listening tip.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗

Other dictionary pronunciations

/ˈskwɝ(ə)l/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Soot had pushed away a squirrel and huddled close to him on his shoulder, the gray film dropped over his eyes.
Frances Hodgson BurnettThe Secret GardenProject Gutenberg ebook #113
The Douglas squirrel does not strictly belong to these upper woods, and I was surprised to see him out in such weather.
John MuirSteep TrailsProject Gutenberg ebook #326
More book examples (3)
The sharp bark of the red squirrel and the low of cattle, lazily chewing their cuds among the willows, came to him.
Gene Stratton-PorterThe Song of the CardinalProject Gutenberg ebook #533
But old Vixen was up in natural history--she knew squirrel nature and took the case in hand when the proper time came.
Ernest Thompson SetonWild Animals I Have KnownProject Gutenberg ebook #3031
The fruit was the finest I had ever seen in the woods, and some wise squirrel had marked it for his own.
John BurroughsBirds and Bees, Sharp Eyes, and Other PapersProject Gutenberg ebook #3163