headlock

noun

"headlock" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“headlock” is uncommon English (frequency #55,486 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,486
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A wrestling move where the attacker puts their arm tightly round their opponent's head, which the opponent can't easily escape from.

Corpus desk

Index EN-headlock · headlock · English

headlock · rank #55,486 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,486
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH headpiece

Nearest frequency peer: headpiece (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “headlock”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “headlock” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for headlock
PropertyValue
Headwordheadlock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#55,486
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “headlock” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).headlockfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “headpiece” (#55,487), “haz” (#55,484), “hermits” (#55,489). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “headlock” is #55,486. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

headlock is uncommon English at frequency #55,486 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A wrestling move where the attacker puts their arm tightly round their opponent's head, which the opponent can't easily escape from.".

headlock has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From head + lock. The correct English form is headlock, spelled H-E-A-D-L-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A wrestling move where the attacker puts their arm tightly round their opponent's head, which the opponent can't easily escape from.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how headlock appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Your love is like a studded leather headlock Your kiss, it could put creases in the rain You're rarer than a can of dandelion and burdock And those other girls are just post-mix lemonade

Etymology

From head + lock.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "headlock"?
"headlock" is spelled H-E-A-D-L-O-C-K.
What does "headlock" mean?
As a noun, "headlock" means: A wrestling move where the attacker puts their arm tightly round their opponent's head, which the opponent can't easily escape from.
What is the origin of the word "headlock"?
From head + lock. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "headlock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list