backpedal
/ˈbækˌpɛdəɫ/
"backpedal" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“backpedal” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To pedal backwards on a bicycle.
Corpus desk
Index EN-backpedal · backpedal · English
backpedal · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | backpedal |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈbækˌpɛdəɫ/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “backpedal” in English
Rare enough to double-check
backpedal is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈbækˌpɛdəɫ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for backpedal in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From back + pedal. The correct English form is backpedal, spelled B-A-C-K-P-E-D-A-L.
Definition
- 1To pedal backwards on a bicycle.
- 2To step backwards.
- 3To distance oneself from an earlier claim or statement; back off from an idea.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how backpedal appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The road was on a hill and the boy was going down the slope, and as he flashed by he started backpedalling very quickly so that the free-wheeling mechanism of his bike made a loud whirring sound.
The player had to backpedal before catching the ball.
Etymology
From back + pedal.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.