Swell is a commonly used word that can be spelled either with one or two L’s at the end. The IPA phonetic transcription for this word is /swɛl/. The "w" in "swell" makes the "s" sound more like a "z," and the "e" is pronounced as the short "e" sound. The double "l" in "swell" is used when the word takes on a verb form, while the single "l" is used when the word is used as an adjective or adverb. So, people should be careful about the spelling of "swell" whether it's referring to a wave or an emotion.
Swell can be defined as both a noun and a verb with different meanings. As a noun, it refers to a long, regular undulation on the surface of a body of water, typically caused by the wind. It describes the rise and fall of waves that create a gentle rolling movement. Swell can also be used to describe a slight rise in the level of a sea, river, or lake as a result of tidal influences or heavy rain.
As a verb, swell has various meanings. It can mean to become larger or rounder in size, either temporarily due to inflammation or permanently due to growth or accumulation of fluid. For example, a person's ankle can swell after an injury, or a watermelon can swell as it ripens. Swell can also refer to an increase in volume, intensity, or force, such as in sound or emotions. It can describe the act of expanding or filling with pride or satisfaction, as in feeling a sense of pride that causes one's chest to swell. Additionally, swell can mean to improve in condition or become better, as in "business is starting to swell."
In a colloquial sense, swell is sometimes used as an adjective to describe something or someone as excellent, impressive, or very good. This usage is often considered old-fashioned or dated and is more commonly seen in older literature or period films. For instance, "You did a swell job on that project!"
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "swell" can be traced back to Old English as "swellan", which meant "to grow, become larger or stronger". It is believed to have developed from the Proto-Germanic root "*sweljanan". The word has cognates in other Germanic languages, such as Old Norse "svella" and Old High German "swellen". The term evolved over time, and its current meaning of "to expand or increase in size" can be seen from the 15th century onwards. As a noun, "swell" referring to a wave or a rise in the sea, came into use in the late 18th century.