foothold
/ˈfʊthoʊld/noun
foothold is spelled F-O-O-T-H-O-L-D: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, foothold means “A solid grip with the feet” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of foothold is footholds.
How many letters and syllables are in foothold?
| Letters | 8: F-O-O-T-H-O-L-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th 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 foothold?
Foothold appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th 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 foothold?
- /ˈfʊthoʊld/
Foothold 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)-Vealhurl-foothold.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of foothold
- footholds plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does foothold mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A solid grip with the feet.
- 2
A secure position from which it is difficult to be dislodged.
- 3
Airhead, beachhead, bridgehead, lodgement.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Foothold in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a solid grip with the feet:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | point d'appui |
| German | Halt, fester Stand |
| Portuguese | apoio para os pés |
| Spanish | punto de apoyo, apoyatura podal |
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 foothold come from?
From foot + hold.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).