latchkey
/ˈlæt͡ʃˌki/noun, adjective, verb
latchkey is spelled L-A-T-C-H-K-E-Y: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 114,361st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, latchkey means “A key, especially to an outside door” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of latchkey is latchkeys.
How many letters and syllables are in latchkey?
| Letters | 8: L-A-T-C-H-K-E-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 14 million words; the 114,361st 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 latchkey?
Latchkey appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 114,361st 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 latchkey?
- US /ˈlæt͡ʃˌki/
Latchkey 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).
Forms of latchkey
- latchkeys plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- latch key
- latch-key
- latchkeying participle, present
- latchkeyed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does latchkey mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A key, especially to an outside door.
- 2
Ellipsis of latchkey kid.
- 3
Ellipsis of latchkey program.
adjective
- 1
Pertaining to unsupervised children in afterschool care contexts.
verb
- 1
To open something by means of a latchkey.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of latchkey; especially when referring to a latchkey program.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Latchkey in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense key:
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 latchkey come from?
From latch + key.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).