mainspring
noun
mainspring is spelled M-A-I-N-S-P-R-I-N-G: 10 letters. It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 99,289th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mainspring means “The principal spring of a clockwork mechanism, which drives it by uncoiling” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mainspring is mainsprings.
How many letters and syllables are in mainspring?
| Letters | 10: M-A-I-N-S-P-R-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 99,289th 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 mainspring?
Mainspring appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 99,289th 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).
Forms of mainspring
- mainsprings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mainspring mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The principal spring of a clockwork mechanism, which drives it by uncoiling.
- 2
The most important reason for, or element of, something.
My daughter is the mainspring of my life.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mainspring in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the principal spring of a clockwork mechanism:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ressort moteur |
| German | Antriebsfeder, Triebfeder, Hauptfeder |
| Spanish | resorte motor |
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 mainspring come from?
From main + spring. For figurative sense, compare spring (“source, origin”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).