piggybacking
noun, verb
piggybacking is spelled P-I-G-G-Y-B-A-C-K-I-N-G: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 89,388th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, piggybacking means “Riding on someone else's back” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in piggybacking?
| Letters | 12: P-I-G-G-Y-B-A-C-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 89,388th 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 piggybacking?
Piggybacking appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 89,388th 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 piggybacking?
Piggybacking has 4 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).
What does piggybacking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Riding on someone else's back.
No piggybacking or other horseplay is allowed in the hallways.
- 2
Transport involving vehicles arranged in an analogous way.
- 3
Inappropriately gaining entry into a restricted area, past a checkpoint, by tagging along behind another person who is authorized.
The security team watches who comes through the door, and they will stop anyone who is seen piggybacking behind a badgeholder.
- 4
Joining in an activity that is initiated or led by someone else.
Piggybacking on others' innovations seems to be his only plan for success.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of piggyback
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does piggybacking come from?
See piggyback.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).