cliffhanger
/ˌklɪfˈhæŋ.ə(ɹ)/noun
cliffhanger is spelled C-L-I-F-F-H-A-N-G-E-R: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cliffhanger means “An ending or stopping point calculated to leave a story unresolved, in order to create suspense” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cliffhanger is cliffhangers.
How many letters and syllables are in cliffhanger?
| Letters | 11: C-L-I-F-F-H-A-N-G-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,320th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is cliffhanger?
Cliffhanger appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th 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 cliffhanger?
- UK /ˌklɪfˈhæŋ.ə(ɹ)/
Cliffhanger 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: En-us-cliffhanger.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with cliffhanger
Also written: cliff-hanger (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with cliffhanger?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as cliffhanger from its last stressed vowel (/æŋə/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of cliffhanger
- cliffhangers plural
- cliff hanger
- cliff-hanger
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cliffhanger mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An ending or stopping point calculated to leave a story unresolved, in order to create suspense.
- 2
An outcome which is awaited with keen anticipation, especially one which is delayed for a period of time or which is not known until the last minute.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cliffhanger in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense (narratology) an ending or stopping point:
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 cliffhanger come from?
From cliff + hanger, evoking the image of someone left hanging from a cliff, thereby having an uncertain fate. The term cliffhanger is considered to have originated with the serialized version of Thomas Hardy's A Pair of Blue Eyes, published in Tinsley's Magazine in the 1870s, in which the character Henry Knight is left hanging off of a cliff. It was inspired by a real life story from his wife Emma's childhood, when she had to rescue one of her school friends from a similar position.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).