second hand
/ˌsɛkənd ˈhænd/adjective, noun
second hand is spelled S-E-C-O-N-D-H-A-N-D: 10 letters. As an adjective, second hand means “Alternative form of secondhand” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in second hand?
| Letters | 10: S-E-C-O-N-D-H-A-N-D |
|---|---|
| In writing | a phrase: the frequency list counts single words |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
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); 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 do you pronounce second hand?
- /ˌsɛkənd ˈhænd/
As a noun (“On the clock face of a clock or watch, the hand (pointer)…”): /ˈsɛkənd ˌhænd/.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-second_hand1.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-second_hand2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-second-hand.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with second hand
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: secondhand (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of second hand
- secondhand
- second-hand
- second hands plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does second hand mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Alternative form of secondhand.
noun
- 1
An intermediate person or means; intermediary.
- 2
On the clock face of a clock or watch, the hand (pointer) that shows the number of seconds that have passed.
adjective
- 1
Alternative spelling of secondhand.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Second hand in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the hand or pointer that shows the number of seconds that have passed:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | trotteuse, aiguille des secondes |
| German | Sekundenzeiger |
| Portuguese | ponteiro dos segundos |
| Spanish | segundero |
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 second hand come from?
second (ordinal) + hand (“party”)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).