hand grenade

/ˈhænd.ɡɹəˈneɪd/

//ˈhænd.ɡɹəˈneɪd// noun

"hand-grenade" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hand grenade” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small hand-held explosive device designed to be thrown at an enemy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hand-grenade · hand grenade · English

hand grenade · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for hand grenade
PropertyValue
Headwordhand grenade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhænd.ɡɹəˈneɪd/
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hand grenade” in English

hand grenadesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hand grenade is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhænd.ɡɹəˈneɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hand grenade, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is hand grenade, spelled H-A-N-D- -G-R-E-N-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small hand-held explosive device designed to be thrown at an enemy.
  2. 2
    A fire grenade (kind of portable fire extinguisher).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how hand grenade appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. It began with a verbal hand grenade lobbed by Mr. Trump Monday, decrying the staggered release of hostages under the painstakingly crafted Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement brokered by his own envoy along with Qatar, Egypt, and the outgoing Biden administration.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hand grenade"?
"hand grenade" is spelled H-A-N-D- -G-R-E-N-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhænd.ɡɹəˈneɪd/.
What does "hand grenade" mean?
As a noun, "hand grenade" means: A small hand-held explosive device designed to be thrown at an enemy.
How do you pronounce "hand grenade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hand grenade" is /ˈhænd.ɡɹəˈneɪd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hand grenade" come from?
"hand grenade" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list