joystick
joy·stick/ˈd͡ʒɔɪ.stɪk/noun, verb
joystick is spelled J-O-Y-S-T-I-C-K: 8 letters and 2 syllables (joy·stick). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, joystick means “A mechanical control device consisting of a handgrip mounted on a base or pedestal and typically having one or more buttons, used to control an…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of joystick is joysticks.
How many letters and syllables are in joystick?
| Letters | 8: J-O-Y-S-T-I-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: joy·stick |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,063rd 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 joystick?
Joystick appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd 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 joystick?
- US /ˈd͡ʒɔɪ.stɪk/
- Australia /ˈd͡ʒoɪ.stɪk/
- /ˈd͡ʒoɪ.stək/
Joystick has 2 syllables, split joy·stick in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-joystick.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with joystick
Also written: joy-stick (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of joystick
- joysticks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- joy-stick
- joy stick
- joysticking participle, present
- joysticked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does joystick mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A mechanical control device consisting of a handgrip mounted on a base or pedestal and typically having one or more buttons, used to control an aircraft, computer, or other equipment.
- 2
slangA penis.
verb
- 1
rareTo maneuver by means of a joystick (noun sense 1).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Joystick in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense mechanical control device:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | manche, joystick, manche à balai, manette |
| German | Steuerknüppel, Joystick |
| Portuguese | manche |
| Spanish | palanca de mando, joystick, columna de control |
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 joystick come from?
From joy + stick. First attested around 1910 (as joy-stick) as the control stick on an airplane. Its relation to the word joy is unclear.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).