shorthanded
adjective, adverb, verb
shorthanded is spelled S-H-O-R-T-H-A-N-D-E-D: 11 letters. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,714th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, shorthanded means “Lacking sufficient staff or people, as for normal or efficient operations” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in shorthanded?
| Letters | 11: S-H-O-R-T-H-A-N-D-E-D |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 58,714th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in 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).
How common is shorthanded?
Shorthanded appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,714th 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 shorthanded?
- US
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-shorthanded.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with shorthanded
Also written: short-handed (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of shorthanded
- more shorthanded comparative
- most shorthanded superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shorthanded mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Lacking sufficient staff or people, as for normal or efficient operations.
The tiny restaurant usually got by with three workers on that shift, but found itself shorthanded when the tour bus pulled in.
- 2
Having less than a quorum.
- 3
Having, or occurring during an interval with, fewer than a full complement of players, often as the result of a penalty.
- 4
Having fewer than the standard number of players.
adverb
- 1
In a shorthanded manner.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of shorthand
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shorthanded in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense understaffed:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | falta de personal, poco personal, personal insuficiente |
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 shorthanded come from?
From short + handed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).