What Is a Group of Pigs Called? [10 Best Words]

Collective nouns for animals always tend to have unique names. It’s fun to learn about animal collective nouns, and this article will explore what to call a group of pigs when you see them together. There are some interesting ways to talk about the group.

The best words for a group of pigs are “sounder,” “team,” and “drove.” These work well as collective nouns to refer to groups of pigs. “Sounder” and “team” generally refer to all types of pigs, while “drove” is more focused on younger or fresher pigs.

1. Sounder

“Sounder” is the best collective noun to refer to a group of pigs of any age and type. It’s mainly used when you have a varying group of pigs filled with both older and younger beasts.

It’s a simple word used to describe a group of pigs. It’s also one of the more common choices for farmers to use when talking about specific groups they own.

• There’s a sounder of pigs outside, and I don’t know what to do with them. Do you have any ideas?
• I’m not sure why you wanted to talk about the sounder of pigs. You know that you need to do some stuff before bringing them here, right?
• I’m not going to get a sounder of pigs anymore. They’re easy to manage, but I don’t want the farm to get dirty.

2. Team

“Team” is another great choice that allows you to refer to older and younger pigs. You can use “team” as a general term to refer to a group of pigs you own.

It’s great to include all the pigs in your “team” without specifying which ones are young or old. Some collective nouns have age restrictions, meaning you can only use them to refer to younger pigs or babies.

• That team of pigs has been going strong for decades. I doubt they’ll ever find another leader. He’s so resilient.
• I am proud of my team of pigs. They’re such a great group, and I hope they stay like that forever. I love them.
• It would be best if you had a team of pigs to fit into this farm. It’s missing something, and I think that would do the trick.

3. Drove

A “drove” is a group of young pigs. You should only use this collective noun when referring to younger pigs. If you have any older pigs in the same group, this noun will no longer work.

It’s a personal choice (like many collective nouns for animals). However, it’s best to only use this term when you know you have young pigs in a group.

• Have you seen my new drove of pigs? I’m not sure where they’ve got to, and I’m worried about them.
• A drove of pigs refers to a group of younger pigs. That’s why I don’t want to refer to Old Barry as part of a drove.
• You’re going to get a drove of pigs delivered, right? We need to start looking after some pigs now.

4. Drift

“Drift” is another great word that refers to younger pigs. You should use it when you have new pigs or young pigs growing up on your farm. It’s best to avoid using this term if you have older pigs in the group.

“Drove” and “drift” are synonymous. They both refer to groups of pigs that are younger in age than most others. It’s worth having them ready in case you want to refer to younger pigs.

• I saw a drift of pigs on my commute to work. It was weird because they were out in the middle of a busy city.
• What’s the point in owning a drift of pigs if you don’t know how to look after them? Don’t you worry that you’ll get it wrong?
• That drift of pigs needs a proper owner. Maybe the farmer down the road can look after them better than you.

5. Herd

“Herd” is a great word for field-based animal groups. Pigs live in fields, and “herds” graze on fields. That’s why “herd” is a great term to use to show that a group of pigs is nearby.

It’s similar to using terms like “herd of cows.” It shows that the pigs live out in the field with groups of other pigs. It’s a common farming term that people use as a collective noun when they don’t have a better idea.

• I saw a few herds of pigs on my way here. They looked lost. I have always wondered who they might belong to.
• A herd of pigs came trotting past me on my run today. I’ve never been put to shame by farm animals like that before.
• I thought I told you about that herd of pigs long ago. It was one of the scariest moments of my life.

6. Parcel

“Parcel” means a group of pigs in a less specific way. You do not have to worry about the pages of the pigs when using “parcel.” It is a blanket term that covers all types of pigs and ages.

“Parcel” works well because of the alliteration involved in the phrase. “Parcel of pigs” uses the “p” letter in the major words, making it roll off the tongue. Many native speakers like to use alliteration like this to help them remember something.

• That’s a parcel of pigs if I ever saw one. There are so many unique characters in that crowd, and I love each one.
• I want you to take a look at this parcel of pigs. Do you see anything specific about them that shows they belong to me?
• They’ve got a new parcel of pigs, but we’re not sure how much it cost them. Maybe we should just ask.

7. Litter

“Litter” is a great collective noun that refers specifically to piglets. It refers to baby pigs, where “litter” refers to a recent group of pigs born from a mother pig.

“Litter” is a fairly common word relating to animal pregnancies. You can use it to refer to all kinds of baby creatures when they are fresh out of the womb.

• I have a litter of piglets ready to go. I’m not sure who is going to buy them, but they’re there if anyone wants them.
• What can we do with this litter of piglets? I want to care for them. It would be so sad to sell them to a new farm.
• She asked me to look after a litter of piglets. I was taken aback at first, but the idea started to grow on me.

8. Farrow

“Farrow” means a group of piglets, and it can only work when referring to much younger pigs. You should not use this collective noun if you have older pigs in a group.

It works in a similar way to “litter.” You should use it when you want to refer to piglets in your possession rather than older animals.

• Someone dropped off a farrow of piglets at our barn earlier this week. We had to take them in because they looked so scared.
• We have a lovely farrow of piglets that we’re raising properly. If you would like one, you have to prove you can care for them.
• What are you doing with that farrow of piglets? If you need someone to look after them for you, I’d be happy to help out.

9. Passel

“Passel” is another alternative that specifically refers to baby pigs. You should use it for piglets because it works well as a collective noun for a group of babies.

It’s not the most common word to use because “passel” isn’t recognized as a common word. Most people would avoid using it because it sounds a bit strange in most cases.

• I have a passel of piglets on my farm that needs caring for. I’m hoping somebody like you will be able to do that.
• What’s this? I thought you said you had a passel of piglets. I can only see three. I would hardly call that a passel.
• It’s a passel of pigs, and I would love for you to take a few with you. You can decide which ones you like most.

10. Group

“Group” will always work as a collective noun for a group of any animal. You do not need to use fancy collective nouns when referring to any group of animals.

“Group” is simple and keeps things concise. You can use it whenever you don’t know the “official” term for a group of animals.

After all, there are no rules that say you must use words like “drove” or “sounder.” They are just words that became more popular over time to make a group of pigs stand out from a regular “group.”

• What do you call a group of pigs? Is there even a word that works to refer to the collective noun?
• I’m not sure about this. It’s a large group of pigs, and I don’t want people to think that I own a farm or anything.
• You need to see this group of pigs. They’re hilarious! I have no idea why they didn’t want to keep them!