Pronunciation Guide • English
How to Pronounce squirrel
Difficulty: hard
IPA Transcription
/ˈskwɪrəl/ (US) or /ˈskwɪrəl/ (UK)
Why is it so hard to pronounce?
SKWIR-ul. Two syllables. Notoriously difficult for non-native speakers, particularly because of the initial consonant cluster "squi-" (/skwɪ/) and the final "-rrel" which has two Rs in spelling but only one in sound.
💡 Pro Tip for squirrel
SKWIR-ul. One of the most-used test words for detecting non-native accents in English.
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Hear 'squirrel' Audio Now →Word Origins
The term squirrel originates from Old French "escurel". Understanding its etymology helps explain why it breaks standard pronunciation rules.