pinhole
/ˈpɪnˌhoʊl/noun, verb
pinhole is spelled P-I-N-H-O-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pinhole means “A small hole, of a size that could have been made by a pin” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pinhole is pinholes.
How many letters and syllables are in pinhole?
| Letters | 7: P-I-N-H-O-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 53,573rd 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 pinhole?
Pinhole appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd 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 pinhole?
- US /ˈpɪnˌhoʊl/
Pinhole 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).
Words people confuse with pinhole
Also written: pin-hole (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of pinhole
- pinholes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pin-hole
- pinholing participle, present
- pinholed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pinhole mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small hole, of a size that could have been made by a pin
- 2
The aperture in a pinhole camera or camera obscura
- 3
A port left unprotected by a firewall to allow a particular application to gain access to a service.
- 4
A clipping of pinhole eye, which refers to the compact eye structure associated with intense tropical cyclones.
verb
- 1
To form one or more pinholes in.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does pinhole come from?
From pin + hole.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).