1
Ant
Atta cephalotes
A New World ant that doesn't eat leaves — it farms fungus on them, in one of the oldest agricultural systems on Earth.
Looking for 1-syllable insects? Here are 11 insects that fit — each linked to a full profile.
Syllables are counted across the whole name (multi-word names sum). "Apple" is 2 syllables; "Macaroni and Cheese" is 6.
List of 1-syllable Insects
2
Flea
Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea, most common); also dog and human fleas
A wingless blood-feeding parasite that jumps astonishing distances relative to its size — agent of the medieval Black Death, perpetual pet nuisance, and one of evolution's most successful designs.
3
Gnat
Various (Sciaridae, Mycetophilidae, others)
A general term for various small flying flies — including fungus gnats, eye gnats, and biting midges — that swarm in late summer evenings and form clouds around faces, with some species causing significant agricultural damage.
4
Leech
Hirudinea (subclass)
A blood-feeding annelid worm — used in medicine for over 2,500 years, with modern medical leeches still approved by the FDA for restoring blood flow to reattached body parts and skin grafts.
5
Louse
Pediculus humanus capitis (head); Pediculus humanus humanus (body); Pthirus pubis (pubic)
A wingless parasitic insect — head lice are particularly common among schoolchildren, body lice can transmit serious diseases including epidemic typhus, and pubic lice are a sexually transmitted parasite.
6
Midge
Chironomidae (family)
Tiny non-biting flies that emerge in massive swarms from lakes and rivers — looking like mosquitoes but harmless to humans, with critical roles as fish food and as bioindicators of water quality.
7
Moth
Actias luna
A large, pale-green silk moth of eastern North America with long curved hindwing tails — adults that don't eat at all, living only a week to mate and die.
8
Roach
Blattella germanica
The small, light-brown cockroach species responsible for nearly all kitchen-pest cockroach infestations worldwide — fast-breeding, hard to eliminate, and the bane of restaurants and apartment buildings.
9
Snail
Gastropoda (class — many species)
A spiral-shelled mollusk (technically not an insect, often grouped colloquially) that moves on a single muscular foot — an agricultural pest in gardens but a French and Italian culinary tradition (escargot, lumache).
10
Tick
Ixodida (suborder)
A blood-feeding arachnid that transmits more diseases than any other arthropod — including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and rickettsial infections, with major populations expanding due to climate change.
11
Wasp
Vespidae (family); the common yellowjacket is Vespula vulgaris
A diverse group of stinging insects ranging from solitary mud-daubers to aggressive social yellowjackets — predators of garden pests, distinguished from bees by smooth bodies and the ability to sting repeatedly.
About 1-syllable insects
That's our current list of insects pronounced in 1 syllable. Want to combine with a starting letter? Try 1-syllable insects that start with A.