backpack
/ˈbæk.pæk/noun, verb
backpack is spelled B-A-C-K-P-A-C-K: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 6.0 times per million words in written English, the 9,878th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, backpack means “A knapsack, sometimes mounted on a light frame, but always supported by straps, worn on a person’s back for the purpose of carrying things…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of backpack is backpacks.
How many letters and syllables are in backpack?
| Letters | 8: B-A-C-K-P-A-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.0 times per million words; the 9,878th 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 backpack?
Backpack appears 6.0 times per million words in written English, the 9,878th 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 backpack?
- /ˈbæk.pæk/
Backpack 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). Recordings: En-uk-backpack.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with backpack
Also written: back pack (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of backpack
- backpacks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- back pack
- bagpack
- backpacking participle, present
- backpacked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does backpack mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A knapsack, sometimes mounted on a light frame, but always supported by straps, worn on a person’s back for the purpose of carrying things, especially when hiking, or on a student's back when carrying books.
- 2
A similarly placed item containing a parachute or other life support equipment.
verb
- 1
To hike and camp overnight in backcountry with one's gear carried in a backpack.
I spent a month backpacking in the Rockies.
- 2
To engage in low-cost, generally urban, travel with minimal luggage and frugal accommodation.
- 3
rareTo place or carry (an item or items) in a backpack.
Astronauts backpack oxygen during spacewalks.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Backpack in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense worn on a person's back, e.g., for hiking:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sac à dos, cabas |
| German | Rucksack |
| Portuguese | mochila, sacudu |
| Spanish | mochila, alforja, caballa, salveque, bulto, bolso |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does backpack come from?
From back + pack. First attested in 1896.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).