counterweight
noun, verb
counterweight is spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-R-W-E-I-G-H-T: 13 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, counterweight means “A heavy mass of often iron or concrete, mechanically linked in opposition to a load which is to be raised and lowered, with the intent of reducing…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of counterweight is counterweights.
How many letters and syllables are in counterweight?
| Letters | 13: C-O-U-N-T-E-R-W-E-I-G-H-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,663rd 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 counterweight?
Counterweight appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd 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 counterweight?
Counterweight 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)-Vealhurl-counterweight.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of counterweight
- counterweights plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- counterweighting participle, present
- counterweighted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does counterweight mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A heavy mass of often iron or concrete, mechanically linked in opposition to a load which is to be raised and lowered, with the intent of reducing the amount of work which must be done to effect the raising and lowering. Counterweights are used, for example, in cable-hauled elevators and some kinds of movable bridges (e.g. a bascule bridge).
- 2
A counterbalance.
verb
- 1
To fit with a counterweight.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Counterweight in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense heavy mass reducing the amount of work which must be done to effect the raising :
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contrepoids |
| German | Gegengewicht |
| Portuguese | contrapeso |
| Spanish | contrapeso |
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 counterweight come from?
From counter- + weight.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).