pistol
pis·tol/ˈpɪstəl/noun, verb
pistol is spelled P-I-S-T-O-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables (pis·tol). It appears 8.5 times per million words in written English, the 7,910th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pistol means “A handgun” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pistol is pistols.
How many letters and syllables are in pistol?
| Letters | 6: P-I-S-T-O-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pis·tol |
| In writing | 8.5 times per million words; the 7,910th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is pistol?
Pistol appears 8.5 times per million words in written English, the 7,910th 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 pistol?
- /ˈpɪstəl/
- [ˈpɪstəl] ~ [ˈpɪstl̩]
Pistol has 2 syllables, split pis·tol in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pistol.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pistol?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as pistol.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: spoilt.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of pistol
- pistols plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pistoling US, participle, present
- pistolling UK, participle, present
- pistoled US, participle, past
- pistolled UK, participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pistol mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A handgun
- 2
The type of handgun with the chamber integral with the barrel.
She leveled her pistol at the target.
- 3
The mechanical component of a fuse in a bomb or torpedo responsible for firing the detonator.
- 4
A lively, high-energy person.
KENT NELSON –Until my wife Inza convinced me there was more to life. Ah, she was a real pistol, that Inza.
- 5
An offensive formation in which the quarterback receives the snap at a distance behind the center, but closer than in a shotgun formation, with a running back lined up behind him.
verb
- 1
To shoot (at) a target with a pistol.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pistol in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pistolet |
| German | Pistole, Faustfeuerwaffe , Zündpistole |
| Portuguese | pistola |
| Spanish | pistola, charpe |
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 pistol come from?
Probably from Middle French pistole, or via Middle English pistolet, from Middle French pistolet (“small firearm or small dagger”). The origin is unclear. If via German to Romance probably from Middle High German forms like pischulle from Czech píšťala (“firearm”, literally “tube, pipe”), from Proto-Slavic *piščalь, from *piskati, *piščati (“to squeak, whistle”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *pīṣk-. Alternatively, if from Romance to German, from or related to Italian pistolese (“short dagger”), from Italian Pistoia (“a Tuscan town noted for its gunsmithing”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).