breakneck
/ˈbɹeɪkˌnɛk/adjective, adverb, noun
breakneck is spelled B-R-E-A-K-N-E-C-K: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, breakneck means “Dangerously fast; hell-for-leather” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in breakneck?
| Letters | 9: B-R-E-A-K-N-E-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,337th 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 breakneck?
Breakneck appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th 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 breakneck?
- US /ˈbɹeɪkˌnɛk/
- US [ˈbɹ(ʷ)eɪ̯kˌnɛk]
- Australia /ˈbɹæɪkˌnek/
Breakneck 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-NaomiAmethyst-breakneck.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of breakneck
- more breakneck comparative
- most breakneck superlative
- breaknecks plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does breakneck mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Dangerously fast; hell-for-leather.
breakneck pace
adverb
- 1
Dangerously fast.
noun
- 1
A fall that breaks the neck.
- 2
A dangerous steep place from which one could fall and be injured.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Breakneck in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense dangerously fast; hell-for-leather:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | halsbrecherisch |
| Spanish | a toda carrera, a tumba abierta, como alma que lleva el diablo, disparado, como relámpago, a toda leche |
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 breakneck come from?
From break + neck.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).