You're sitting there, pen in hand or fingers hovering over a keyboard, trying to finish a poem about nature. Or maybe you're just bored. Either way, you've hit a wall because what rhymes with squirrel isn't exactly a long list. It's frustrating. Honestly, English is kind of a mess when it comes to these "almost-rhymes" that don't quite click unless you force the accent.
Most people give up. They swap the word for "chipmunk" or "bird." Don't do that yet.
The trick to mastering words like squirrel—which linguists often categorize as having a "liquid" ending because of that tricky l—is understanding how you actually pronounce it. Do you say "skwirl" (one syllable, like "girl") or "skwur-rul" (two syllables, like "barrel")? Depending on your accent, your rhyming options change completely. If you're from the UK, you're probably looking at two-syllable matches. If you're in the US, it's often a tight, one-syllable crunch.
The Absolute Best Rhymes for Squirrel
If you're going for the standard American pronunciation, girl is your absolute best bet. It's clean. It's perfect. It's the most common rhyme used in songwriting and poetry because the "url" sound aligns perfectly. Think about the word curl. It's another "perfect" rhyme. If you're writing a story about a squirrel with curly hair, you’ve basically hit the jackpot.
Then you’ve got whirl.
It’s a bit more poetic. A squirrel in a whirl. It works. You also have twirl, swirl, and furl. These are all monosyllabic words that end in that deep, vocalic r followed by an l. Linguist John Wells, in his Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, notes that for many English speakers, the distinction between these sounds is minimal.
But what if you pronounce it with two syllables?
That's where things get weird. If you say "skwur-rel," you might find a slant rhyme with barrel or apparel. Is it a perfect rhyme? No. Not even close. But in the world of songwriting, especially in folk or country music, these "near rhymes" or "slant rhymes" are used all the time to create a sense of folk-ish charm. Emily Dickinson was the queen of this. She didn't care about perfect matches; she cared about the vibe.
Why Some Words Feel Like They Rhyme But Don't
Let’s talk about pearl.
Technically, pearl is a perfect rhyme for the one-syllable pronunciation of squirrel. Yet, for some reason, it feels a bit "off" to some writers. This is because of the "consonant cluster" at the beginning of squirrel (skw). It’s a heavy start to a word. When you pair it with a soft word like pearl, the meter of your sentence might feel lopsided.
You also have earl.
Yes, like the title. "The Earl and the Squirrel." It sounds like a children's book title because it is. Actually, there are probably ten books with that exact title. It’s an easy, accessible rhyme. But notice how short earl is compared to the visual weight of squirrel. When you’re writing, you have to account for how the words look on the page, not just how they sound in your head.
The "Slant Rhyme" Savior
Sometimes you just need to get close enough.
In linguistics, we call these "pararhymes" or "consonant rhymes." If you can't find a perfect match for what rhymes with squirrel, you look for words that share the same ending consonant sound but different vowels.
- World: It’s a stretch, I know. But if you’re speaking quickly, "squirrel" and "world" share that heavy l finish.
- Churl: A bit of an old-fashioned word for a rude person, but it’s a perfect phonetic match.
- Burl: That knotty growth on a tree. Since squirrels live in trees, this is actually a very "smart" rhyme to use if you want to sound like you know your botany.
The British vs. American Problem
This is where things get controversial in the rhyming world. If you go across the pond to the UK, "squirrel" is almost always two syllables. It sounds more like "skwi-rel."
In this case, girl doesn't rhyme at all.
Instead, they might look at words like peril or sterile. Or even feral. A feral squirrel? That’s a great image. It’s gritty. It’s real. If you’re writing for a global audience, you have to be careful. A rhyme that works in New York will fail miserably in London. This is the "mismatch" that drives poets crazy.
Words That Most People Forget
There are some deeper cuts in the English language that rhyme perfectly but aren't in our everyday vocabulary. Take unfurl, for example. It’s a beautiful, descriptive verb. Or merle, which is a pattern of coloring in a dog's coat (or a type of bird, the blackbird).
Then there's knurl. A knurl is a small ridge or bead on a metal surface to help with grip.
Probably not going to use that in a poem about the park, right?
But that's the point. The English language is huge. We often feel trapped by a small set of words because we only think of the most common ones. If you're willing to look into technical terms or archaic language, your rhyming options for squirrel expand significantly.
How to Use These Rhymes Without Sounding Cheesy
The biggest mistake people make when they find a rhyme is forcing it. They write a line just to use the word "girl" because it rhymes with "squirrel," even if the girl has nothing to do with the story.
Don't be that writer.
If the rhyme doesn't serve the story or the message, use a slant rhyme instead. Or, better yet, change the structure of the sentence so "squirrel" isn't at the end of the line. This is called "enjambment" in poetry—letting the thought carry over to the next line so the rhyme isn't so "on the nose."
Honestly, sometimes the best rhyme is no rhyme at all.
But if you must rhyme, stick to the "url" family. It’s the most satisfying for the ear. It feels complete. When you hit that final l sound, the listener feels a sense of resolution. It’s like the final note in a song.
Your Practical Rhyme List
Instead of a boring table, let's just look at these grouped by how you'd actually use them in a sentence.
For a natural, easy flow:
Use girl, curl, or whirl. These are the "safe" bets. They work in 90% of situations and everyone understands them. If you’re writing a nursery rhyme or a quick jingle, stay in this lane.
For something more descriptive or nature-focused:
Try burl, furl, or merle. These add a bit of "texture" to your writing. They suggest that you have a deeper vocabulary and that you've put more thought into the imagery than just picking the first word that popped into your head.
For a gritty or "edgy" feel:
Go with churl or swirl. There's something a bit more aggressive about these sounds. "The wind began to swirl around the churlish squirrel." It’s got a lot of "sh" and "ch" sounds that make the reader slow down.
For the adventurous (The Slant Rhymes):
Experiment with peril, feral, or apparel. Just know that you're playing with fire here. Some people will love the creativity; others will think you just don't know how to rhyme. But hey, that's art.
What To Do Next
If you're still stuck, stop looking for rhymes. Seriously. Take a break. Your brain gets "stuck" on phonetic loops.
Instead, try this: write out the sentence you want to end with "squirrel." Now, find a synonym for the other words in that sentence. Often, the reason a rhyme feels hard is because the rest of the sentence is too rigid. If you loosen up the beginning of the line, the end of the line usually takes care of itself.
- Verify your pronunciation. Decide right now: is it one syllable or two? Stick to that choice for the whole piece.
- Choose your "vibe." Do you want a perfect rhyme (girl) or a slant rhyme (peril)?
- Check for "clutter." Does the rhyme make the sentence sound like a greeting card? If so, delete it and try a slant rhyme.
- Read it out loud. This is the only way to know if it actually works. If you stumble over the words, your reader will too.
The world of what rhymes with squirrel is small, but it's manageable if you stop trying to force the language to do something it doesn't want to do. English is a tool—use the parts of it that actually work for you.