halberd
/ˈhæl.bɚd/noun
halberd is spelled H-A-L-B-E-R-D: 7 letters and 2 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, halberd means “A two-handed pole weapon, consisting of a long pole with an axe-like blade mounted on it (at a right angle like an axe, not on the tip like a spear)…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of halberd is halberds.
How many letters and syllables are in halberd?
| Letters | 7: H-A-L-B-E-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its 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; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is halberd?
Halberd 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 halberd?
- US /ˈhæl.bɚd/
- US /ˈhɔl.bɚd/
- US /ˈhɑl.bɚd/
Halberd has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-halberd.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of halberd
- halberds plural
- halbert
- halbard
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does halberd mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A two-handed pole weapon, consisting of a long pole with an axe-like blade mounted on it (at a right angle like an axe, not on the tip like a spear), and (opposite the blade) typically a spike or hook.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Halberd in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense hand weapon:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hallebarde |
| German | Hellebarde |
| Portuguese | alabarda |
| Spanish | alabarda |
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 halberd come from?
(1495) Middle French hallebarde, from Italian alabarda, from Middle High German helmbarte (“broad-axe with handle”), from halm, from Proto-Germanic *helmô (“handle”) + barte (“hatchet”), from *bardaz (“broadax”), literally "beard."
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).