handgun
/ˈhændˌɡʌn/noun
handgun is spelled H-A-N-D-G-U-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, handgun means “A small gun with a relatively short barrel, designed to be held and operated with a single hand” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of handgun is handguns.
How many letters and syllables are in handgun?
| Letters | 7: H-A-N-D-G-U-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,297th 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 handgun?
Handgun appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th 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 handgun?
- US /ˈhændˌɡʌn/
Handgun 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-handgun.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of handgun
- handguns plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does handgun mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small gun with a relatively short barrel, designed to be held and operated with a single hand.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Handgun in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense small, hand-held gun:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | arme de poing f pistolet, revolver |
| German | Kurzwaffe, Pistole, Revolver, Meuchelpuffer |
| Portuguese | arma de fogo curta, revólver |
| Spanish | arma corta |
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 handgun come from?
From hand + gun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).