What Is a Group of Hogs Called?
A large domestic pig with a whole pen full of collective nouns.
A group of hogs is called a drift, with drove, parcel, passel, and sounder also used. Sounder is the more traditional term shared with pigs and wild boar generally.
What Is a Group of Hogs Called?
Hogs carry an unusually large set of collective nouns. Drift and drove both describe hogs actively being moved or herded, older farming terms tied to livestock management. Sounder is the more traditional, widely recognized term shared with pigs and wild boar generally. Parcel and passel are more casual, general alternates.
Where Did the Name Come From?
“Drift” and “drove” both come from farming vocabulary describing livestock being actively moved from one place to another, since hogs, like cattle and sheep, were historically driven along roads and lanes to market. “Sounder,” shared with the wild boar and pig entries on this site, is the more traditional swine-specific term, likely from Old French sundre, related to a herd of wild swine specifically.
Hog Facts
- Technically defined by weight: “hog” traditionally refers to a domestic pig raised for meat, typically weighing over 120 pounds, distinguishing it from a smaller “pig” or “shoat.”
- Excellent sense of smell: hogs have an extremely strong sense of smell, historically used for truffle hunting due to their ability to detect the fungi underground.
- Highly intelligent: pigs and hogs are considered among the most intelligent domestic animals, capable of complex problem-solving and social learning.
- No functional sweat glands: hogs can’t sweat effectively and rely on wallowing in mud or water to cool down, not because they’re inherently dirty.
Example Sentences
- A drift of hogs moved slowly along the farm lane toward the barn.
- A sounder of hogs rooted through the mud near the fence line.
Other Names for a Group of Hogs
Drift and drove both describe hogs being actively herded or moved. Sounder is the more traditional swine-specific term. Parcel and passel are casual, general-purpose alternates seen across several unrelated animal groups.
🧠 Test Your Hog Knowledge
Three quick questions. See what stuck.
1. What term for hogs comes from farming vocabulary for moving livestock?
2. What technically distinguishes a hog from a pig?
3. Why do hogs wallow in mud?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a group of hogs called?
A drift, with drove, parcel, passel, and sounder also used.
What’s the difference between a hog and a pig?
A hog traditionally refers to a domestic pig raised for meat weighing over 120 pounds, distinguishing it from a smaller pig or shoat.
Why do hogs have such a strong sense of smell?
Hogs have an extremely strong sense of smell, historically used for truffle hunting due to their ability to detect fungi underground.
Why do hogs wallow in mud?
Hogs can’t sweat effectively, so they wallow in mud or water to cool down, not out of any inherent uncleanliness.
A Vocabulary as Big as the Animal
A drift, drove, or sounder of hogs proves that few farm animals earned quite as many names as the humble hog.