backlist
noun, verb
backlist is spelled B-A-C-K-L-I-S-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, backlist means “A list of older books available from a publisher, as opposed to the frontlist of more recent titles” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of backlist is backlists.
How many letters and syllables are in backlist?
| Letters | 8: B-A-C-K-L-I-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 20 million words; the 134,976th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is backlist?
Backlist appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce backlist?
Backlist has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of backlist
- backlists plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- backlisting participle, present
- backlisted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does backlist mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A list of older books available from a publisher, as opposed to the frontlist of more recent titles.
- 2
Expected to achieve years of adequate sales while on a backlist, and to be profitable on that basis, even if predicted not to sell in huge numbers when new.
The celebrity tell-all has been proposed as a frontlist title, whereas the cookbook has been proposed as a backlist title and the food history book as a midlist title.
verb
- 1
To hold back a student's application (to a college etc.) based on whether a preferred candidate declines their offer.
I have not heard back from the college yet: I must have been backlisted.
- 2
To place (a book) on a backlist.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does backlist come from?
From back + list.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).