forklift
/ˈfɔɹklɪft/noun, verb
forklift is spelled F-O-R-K-L-I-F-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, forklift means “A small industrial vehicle with a power-operated fork-like pronged platform that can be raised and lowered for insertion under a load, often on…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of forklift is forklifts.
How many letters and syllables are in forklift?
| Letters | 8: F-O-R-K-L-I-F-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,063rd 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 forklift?
Forklift appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd 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 forklift?
- /ˈfɔɹklɪft/
Forklift 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)-Flame,_not_lame-forklift.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of forklift
- forklifts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- forklifting participle, present
- forklifted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does forklift mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small industrial vehicle with a power-operated fork-like pronged platform that can be raised and lowered for insertion under a load, often on pallets, to be lifted and moved.
verb
- 1
To move or stack with, or as if with, such a vehicle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forklift in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense small industrial vehicle:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chariot élévateur, élévateur, clark |
| German | Gabelstapler |
| Portuguese | empilhadeira, empilhadora, empilhador |
| Spanish | montacargas, carretilla elevadora, grúa horquilla, pato, mula, toro |
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 forklift come from?
From fork + lift.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).