freeloader
/ˈfɹiloʊdɚ/noun
freeloader is spelled F-R-E-E-L-O-A-D-E-R: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 89,388th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, freeloader means “One who does not contribute or pay appropriately; one who gets a free ride, etc. without paying a fair share” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of freeloader is freeloaders.
How many letters and syllables are in freeloader?
| Letters | 10: F-R-E-E-L-O-A-D-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 89,388th 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 freeloader?
Freeloader appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 89,388th 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 freeloader?
- UK /ˈfɹiːləʊdə(ɹ)/
- US /ˈfɹiloʊdɚ/
Freeloader 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-freeloader.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with freeloader
Also written: free-loader (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of freeloader
- freeloaders plural
- free-loader
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does freeloader mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
colloquialOne who does not contribute or pay appropriately; one who gets a free ride, etc. without paying a fair share.
- 2
CanadaUKA person who takes expired unsold merchandise from the back of supermarket premises.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Freeloader in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one who does not contribute or pay appropriately:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | resquilleur, gratteur, pique-assiette |
| German | Schmarotzer, Trittbrettfahrer, Schnorrer |
| Portuguese | bicão |
| Spanish | gorrón, gorrero, garronero (Arg., Ur.), chupóptero, arrimado, sablista |
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 freeloader come from?
From free + load + -er, originally US 1930s.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).