Head start or headstart?
head start is a noun meaning “An advantage consisting in starting a competition or task earlier than might be…”; headstart is a noun meaning “Alternative spelling of head start”. Wiktionary gives them as spellings of the same word. head start is written as two words and headstart as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between head start and headstart?
| head start | headstart | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | noun |
| Meaning | An advantage consisting in starting a competition or task earlier than might be expected; given (or taken), for example, prior to the beginning of a race A factor conducive to superiority and success | Alternative spelling of head start |
| Example | Fred gave his younger brother a five-minute head start in the Easter egg hunt | none recorded |
| Forms | none | headstarts |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | not recorded |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 6 million words |
Sources: head start and headstart in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of head start and headstart
head start
- 1
An advantage consisting in starting a competition or task earlier than might be expected; given (or taken), for example, prior to the beginning of a race
Fred gave his younger brother a five-minute head start in the Easter egg hunt
- 2
A factor conducive to superiority and success
His father's money gave him a head start in life
headstart
- 1
Alternative spelling of head start
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, head start or headstart?
head start is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; headstart about once in every 6 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).