cartwheel
/ˈkɑɹtˌwil/noun, verb
cartwheel is spelled C-A-R-T-W-H-E-E-L: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,108th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cartwheel means “The wheel of a cart” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cartwheel is cartwheels.
How many letters and syllables are in cartwheel?
| Letters | 9: C-A-R-T-W-H-E-E-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 56,108th 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 cartwheel?
Cartwheel appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,108th 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 cartwheel?
- UK /ˈkɑːtˌwiːl/
- US /ˈkɑɹtˌwil/
Cartwheel 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-au-cartwheel.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cartwheel
- cartwheels plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cartwheeling participle, present
- cartwheeled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cartwheel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The wheel of a cart.
Near-synonyms: wagon wheel, artillery wheel
- 2
A gymnastic maneuver whereby the gymnast rotates to one side or the other while keeping arms and legs outstretched, spinning for one or more revolutions.
- 3
UKobsoleteslangA crown coin; its value, 5 shillings.
- 4
USobsoleteslangA silver dollar of the larger size produced before 1979.
verb
- 1
To perform the gymnastics feat of a cartwheel.
- 2
To flip end over end: normally said of a crashing vehicle or aircraft.
The race car hit a bump and cartwheeled over the finish line.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cartwheel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Wagenrad , Rad , Rad schlagen |
| Spanish | rueda del carro , voltereta lateral |
| French | roue , faire la roue |
| Portuguese | estrelinha, estrela, aú, roda , fazer a roda |
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 cartwheel come from?
From cart + wheel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).