handbook
/ˈhændˌbʊk/noun
handbook is spelled H-A-N-D-B-O-O-K: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 7.2 times per million words in written English, the 8,784th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, handbook means “A topically organized book of reference on a certain field of knowledge, regardless of size, but archetypally one to be kept readily at hand” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of handbook is handbooks.
How many letters and syllables are in handbook?
| Letters | 8: H-A-N-D-B-O-O-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.2 times per million words; the 8,784th 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 handbook?
Handbook appears 7.2 times per million words in written English, the 8,784th 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 handbook?
- UK /ˈhændˌbʊk/
- British /ˈhandˌbɵk/
- US /ˈhændˌbʊk/
Handbook 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)-Vealhurl-handbook.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-AnotherFriendlyHuman-handbook.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of handbook
- handbooks plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does handbook mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A topically organized book of reference on a certain field of knowledge, regardless of size, but archetypally one to be kept readily at hand.
- 2
USA place where illicit bets can be placed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate handbook?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of handbook: hdbk, hndbk..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Handbook in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a book of reference:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | manuel |
| German | Handbuch |
| Portuguese | manual |
| Spanish | prontuario, enquiridión, manual |
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 handbook come from?
From Middle English handbok, from Old English handbōc (“handbook”), possibly reinforced as a calque of German Handbuch (“handbook”). By surface analysis, hand + book. Compare West Frisian hânboek (“handbook”), Dutch handboek (“handbook”), German Low German Handbook (“handbook”), Danish håndbog (“handbook”), Swedish handbok (“handbook”), Icelandic handbók (“handbook”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).