handbrake
noun, verb
handbrake is spelled H-A-N-D-B-R-A-K-E: 9 letters. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 50,539th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, handbrake means “A brake in a vehicle, set by hand, and usually locking on until released by hand, enabling its use when parked” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of handbrake is handbrakes.
How many letters and syllables are in handbrake?
| Letters | 9: H-A-N-D-B-R-A-K-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 50,539th 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 handbrake?
Handbrake appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 50,539th 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 handbrake?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-handbrake.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with handbrake
Also written: hand brake (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of handbrake
- handbrakes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- hand brake
- handbraking participle, present
- handbraked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does handbrake mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A brake in a vehicle, set by hand, and usually locking on until released by hand, enabling its use when parked.
- 2
The mechanism, particularly the locking hand-operated lever or foot-operated toggle lever in a motorcar or the hand-operated crank on a railcar, which is used to set and release such a brake.
verb
- 1
To apply the handbrake in a vehicle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Handbrake in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense hand-operated brake in a car:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | frein à main |
| German | Handbremse |
| Portuguese | freio de mão, travão de mão |
| Spanish | freno de mano |
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 handbrake come from?
From hand + brake.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).