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PlainSpell

sideways

/ˈsaɪdweɪz/adjective, adverb, noun

sideways is spelled S-I-D-E-W-A-Y-S: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sideways means “Moving or directed toward one side” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in sideways?

Letters8: S-I-D-E-W-A-Y-S
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing3.5 times per million words; the 14,106th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 sideways?

Sideways appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th 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 sideways?

  • /ˈsaɪdweɪz/

Sideways 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). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-sideways.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of sideways

  • more sideways comparative
  • most sideways superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does sideways mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Moving or directed toward one side.

    Giving Mary a sideways glance, he said,[…].

  2. 2

    informalPositioned sideways (with a side to the front).

    There was a stack of papers in front of each seat at the table, but each stack was sideways.

  3. 3

    informalNeither moving upward nor moving downward.

    Once we get out of this sideways economy, our figures will more accurately reflect what we're truly capable of.

  4. 4

    informalIn conflict (with); not compatible (with).

    He was constantly getting sideways with his boss till he got fired.

adverb

  1. 1

    With a side to the front.

    He builds houses sideways, with the front door on the side.

  2. 2

    Towards one side.

    A bishop moves only diagonally; a rook, only sideways, forward, and back.

  3. 3

    Askance; sidelong.

  4. 4

    informalNeither upward nor downward.

    The economy has been moving sideways for several months now.

  5. 5

    UScolloquialNot as planned; towards a worse outcome.

    We realized the project could go sideways very quickly if we didn't get the sales and marketing people on our side.

noun

  1. 1

    plural of sideway (a form of sideway)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Sideways in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Germanseitlich, Seiten- (moving or directed towards one side), auf der Stelle tretend (neither moving up nor moving down), seitwärts, zu Seite (towards one side), schräg (askance)
Spanishde lado, de costado, de soslayo, de refilón, de reojo, de costadillo (moving or directed towards one side)
Frenchde travers (askance), de côté (with a side to the front)

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 sideways come from?

From side + -ways.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after sideways