matchlock
/ˈmæt͡ʃlɑk/noun
matchlock is spelled M-A-T-C-H-L-O-C-K: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 25 million words in written English, the 150,355th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, matchlock means “Early type of firearm, using a smoldering piece of cord to fire the powder in the firing pan” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of matchlock is matchlocks.
How many letters and syllables are in matchlock?
| Letters | 9: M-A-T-C-H-L-O-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 25 million words; the 150,355th 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 matchlock?
Matchlock appears about once in every 25 million words in written English, the 150,355th 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 matchlock?
- UK /ˈmatʃlɒk/
- US /ˈmæt͡ʃlɑk/
Matchlock 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). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-matchlock.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of matchlock
- matchlocks plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does matchlock mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Early type of firearm, using a smoldering piece of cord to fire the powder in the firing pan.
- 2
The gunlock used in such a weapon, having a slow smouldering match.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Matchlock in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense gunlock:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | platine à mèche |
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 matchlock come from?
From match + lock.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).