chokehold
choke·hold/ˈt͡ʃoʊkˌ(h)oʊld/noun, verb
chokehold is spelled C-H-O-K-E-H-O-L-D: 9 letters and 2 syllables (choke·hold). It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, chokehold means “A grappling hold around a person's neck, especially one in which the neck is grasped tightly from behind with an arm, cutting off the flow of blood…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of chokehold is chokeholds.
How many letters and syllables are in chokehold?
| Letters | 9: C-H-O-K-E-H-O-L-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: choke·hold |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 67,454th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is chokehold?
Chokehold appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th 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 chokehold?
- UK /ˈt͡ʃəʊkhəʊld/
- US /ˈt͡ʃoʊkˌ(h)oʊld/
Chokehold has 2 syllables, split choke·hold in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-chokehold.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-chokehold.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with chokehold
Also written: choke-hold (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of chokehold
- chokeholds plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- choke-hold
- choke hold
- chokeholding participle, present
- chokeheld participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does chokehold mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A grappling hold around a person's neck, especially one in which the neck is grasped tightly from behind with an arm, cutting off the flow of blood to the brain and restricting breathing.
He put his opponent in a chokehold.
- 2
A powerful and restrictive control or influence over something.
One country has a chokehold on another country's economy.
verb
- 1
To put a hold around the neck of (someone), especially one in which the neck is grasped tightly from behind with an arm.
- 2
To exert tight, restrictive, control over someone or something.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Chokehold in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense grappling hold around a person’s neck:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | clé de tête |
| German | Würgegriff |
| Portuguese | mata-leão |
| Spanish | llave de cuello, llave mataleón, mataleón |
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 chokehold come from?
The noun is derived from choke (verb) + hold (noun). The verb is derived from the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).