handwaving
/ˈhandweɪvɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
handwaving is spelled H-A-N-D-W-A-V-I-N-G: 10 letters. It appears about once in every 91 million words in written English, the 305,310th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, handwaving means “Waving the hands” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in handwaving?
| Letters | 10: H-A-N-D-W-A-V-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 91 million words; the 305,310th 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 handwaving?
Handwaving appears about once in every 91 million words in written English, the 305,310th 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 handwaving?
- UK /ˈhandweɪvɪŋ/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-handwaving.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of handwaving
- more handwaving comparative
- most handwaving superlative
- handwavings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does handwaving mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Waving the hands.
- 2
Pertaining to empty gesturing, with little substance behind it; vague; not supported by data.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of handwave
noun
- 1
Alternative form of hand waving (“empty gesturing”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does handwaving come from?
From hand + waving.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).