freewheel
noun, verb
freewheel is spelled F-R-E-E-W-H-E-E-L: 9 letters. It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 99,289th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, freewheel means “A device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of freewheel is freewheels.
How many letters and syllables are in freewheel?
| Letters | 9: F-R-E-E-W-H-E-E-L |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 99,289th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is freewheel?
Freewheel appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 99,289th 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 freewheel?
- US
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-freewheel.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of freewheel
- freewheels plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- free wheel
- freewheeling participle, present
- freewheeled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does freewheel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft.
- 2
The mode or state of operation thus produced: Synonym of neutral.
verb
- 1
Of a gear, to continue spinning after disengagement.
- 2
Of a cyclist, to ride a bicycle without pedalling, e.g. downhill.
- 3
Of a motorist, to operate a motor vehicle which is coasting without power, e.g. downhill.
- 4
To operate free from constraints.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Freewheel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense device:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | roue libre |
| German | Freilauf |
| Spanish | piñón libre, embrague rebasante |
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 freewheel come from?
From free + wheel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).