handshake
/ˈhæn(d)ˌʃeɪk/noun, verb
handshake is spelled H-A-N-D-S-H-A-K-E: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 18,064th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, handshake means “The grasping of hands by two people when greeting, leave-taking, or making an agreement” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of handshake is handshakes.
How many letters and syllables are in handshake?
| Letters | 9: H-A-N-D-S-H-A-K-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 18,064th 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 handshake?
Handshake appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 18,064th 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 handshake?
- US /ˈhæn(d)ˌʃeɪk/
Handshake 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: En-us-handshake.ogg, En-uk-handshake.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of handshake
- handshakes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- handshaking participle, present
- handshaked participle, past
- handshook participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does handshake mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The grasping of hands by two people when greeting, leave-taking, or making an agreement.
- 2
An exchange of signals between two devices when communications begin in order to ensure synchronization.
verb
- 1
To perform a handshake; to shake hands.
- 2
To perform a handshake with another device.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Handshake in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | poignée de main, shake-hand , établissement d'une liaison, handshake |
| German | Händeschütteln, Handschlag, Händedruck |
| Portuguese | aperto de mão, passou-bem, bacalhau |
| Spanish | apretón de manos, estrechamiento de manos, estrechadura de manos , establecimiento comunicacional, establecimiento comunicativo , darse la 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 handshake come from?
From hand + shake. See the appendix for the history of the gesture itself.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).