pickup
/ˈpɪkʌp/noun
pickup is spelled P-I-C-K-U-P: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 7.2 times per million words in written English, the 8,784th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “pick-up vs pickup” about 880 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, pickup means “In a record player, an electromagnetic component that converts the needle vibrations into an electrical signal” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pickup is pickups.
How many letters and syllables are in pickup?
| Letters | 6: P-I-C-K-U-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.2 times per million words; the 8,784th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is pickup?
Pickup appears 7.2 times per million words in written English, the 8,784th 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 pickup?
- /ˈpɪkʌp/
Pickup 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)-Flame,_not_lame-pickup.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pickup
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: pick-up (one word or two), pickup truck.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of pickup
- pickups plural
- pick-up
- pick up
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pickup mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
In a record player, an electromagnetic component that converts the needle vibrations into an electrical signal.
- 2
Electromagnetic coil receiver of metal string oscillations.
- 3
The reception of sound, etc. by such a device.
This microphone has very weak pickup.
- 4
CanadaUSEllipsis of pickup truck.
- 5
Impromptu or ad hoc, especially of sports games and teams made up of randomly selected players.
Rather than join a basketball league, James decided to play pickup.
- 6
An instance of approaching someone and engaging in romantic flirtation and courting with the intent to pursue romance, a date, or a sexual encounter.
Hey, thanks for the drink, but if this is a pickup, I'm not interested.
- 7
A person successfully approached in this manner for romance or sex.
- 8
In various games, the fielding or hitting of a ball just after it strikes the ground.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate pickup?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of pickup: PU.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pickup in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 pickup come from?
From pick + up.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).