Heart beat or heartbeat?
heart beat is a noun meaning “Alternative form of heartbeat”; heartbeat is a noun meaning “One pulsation of the heart; especially an irregular one, hence the emotion…”. heart beat is written as two words and heartbeat as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between heart beat and heartbeat?
| heart beat | heartbeat | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | noun |
| Meaning | Alternative form of heartbeat | One pulsation of the heart; especially an irregular one, hence the emotion which causes it The rhythm at which a heart pulsates, a cardiac indicator |
| Example | none recorded | The policeman waited for a heartbeat in vain |
| Forms | none | heartbeats |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈhɑːtˌbiːt/ /ˈhɑɹtˌbit/ [ˈhɑɹʔbiʔ] |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | 4.7 times per million words |
Sources: heart beat and heartbeat 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 heart beat and heartbeat
heart beat
- 1
Alternative form of heartbeat
heartbeat
- 1
One pulsation of the heart; especially an irregular one, hence the emotion which causes it
The policeman waited for a heartbeat in vain
- 2
The rhythm at which a heart pulsates, a cardiac indicator
If your heartbeat doesn't normalize soon, consult a doctor!
- 3
A driving impulse or vital force; the vital center of something
Music is the heartbeat of the people
- 4
A very short space of time; an instant
The ambulance arrived in a heartbeat
- 5
A periodic signal generated by hardware or software to indicate normal operation or to synchronize other parts of a system
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, heart beat or heartbeat?
heart beat is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; heartbeat 4.7 times per million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).