sidewinder
/ˈsaɪd.waɪn.dɚ/noun, verb
sidewinder is spelled S-I-D-E-W-I-N-D-E-R: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,808th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sidewinder means “A North American rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, that inhabits lowland deserts” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sidewinder is sidewinders.
How many letters and syllables are in sidewinder?
| Letters | 10: S-I-D-E-W-I-N-D-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 54,808th 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 sidewinder?
Sidewinder appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,808th 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 sidewinder?
- US /ˈsaɪd.waɪn.dɚ/
Sidewinder has 3 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: En-au-sidewinder.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sidewinder
- sidewinders plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- sidewindering participle, present
- sidewindered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sidewinder mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A North American rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, that inhabits lowland deserts.
- 2
slangA person who is untrustworthy and dangerous.
- 3
datedslangA heavy swinging blow from the side which disables an adversary.
- 4
colloquialA pitcher who throws sidearm.
- 5
A type of middle-distance deep-sea trawler widely used during the 1960s and 1970s.
- 6
A rollercoaster element where riders enter a half-loop followed by a half-corkscrew, and exit perpendicular to the direction of entry.
verb
- 1
Synonym of sidewind.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sidewinder in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Snake Crotalus cerastes:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | crotale cornu |
| German | Seitenwinder-Klapperschlange |
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 sidewinder come from?
From side + winder (“one who winds or wends, traveller”), from the sideways, looping manner in which they move.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).