# handcuffs

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #22,106

## Definitions
1. A fastening consisting of two metal rings, designed to go around a person's wrists, and connected by a chain or hinge.
2. Any abstract constraint, such as rules, regulations, or lack of resources.

## Etymology
1775, from hand + cuff (“end of shirtsleeve”).
Possibly influenced by Old English handcops, from hand + cops (“fetter, chains”), but due to lack of continuity (centuries between Old English and modern term), generally analyzed as a re-invention.

## Easily confused with
- **handcuff** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/handcuff-vs-handcuffs)

## Common misspellings (13)
`ahndcuffs`, `hadncuffs`, `hancduffs`, `handccuffs`, `handcfufs`, `handcuffss`, `handcufs`, `handcufsf`, `handdcuffs`, `handucffs`, `hanndcuffs`, `hhandcuffs`, `hnadcuffs`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/handcuffs