backtracking
/ˈbæk.tɹækɪŋ/noun, verb
backtracking is spelled B-A-C-K-T-R-A-C-K-I-N-G: 12 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, backtracking means “The act of one who, or that which, backtracks; a retracing of one's steps” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of backtracking is backtrackings.
How many letters and syllables are in backtracking?
| Letters | 12: B-A-C-K-T-R-A-C-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,949th 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 backtracking?
Backtracking appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th 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 backtracking?
- US /ˈbæk.tɹækɪŋ/
Backtracking has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-backtracking.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of backtracking
- backtrackings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does backtracking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of one who, or that which, backtracks; a retracing of one's steps.
- 2
The usage of a runway as a taxiway, especially at private strips and smaller airports.
- 3
The act of building all possible solutions to a problem incrementally, abandoning any candidate solution if it cannot lead to a valid solution.
backtracking algorithm
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of backtrack
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Backtracking in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense computer science: building all solutions and abandoning any if it cannot lead to:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | vuelta atrás |
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.