stand-alone
/ˈstænd əˌloʊn/adjective, noun
stand-alone is an adjective meaning “Operating, functioning, or existing without additions or assistance; independent; able to be separate or separated; not attached to anything” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled S-T-A-N-D-A-L-O-N-E.
What does stand-alone mean?
adjective
- 1
Operating, functioning, or existing without additions or assistance; independent; able to be separate or separated; not attached to anything.
They offer an inexpensive add-on for a computer, or a stand-alone system with all the functions built in.
- 2
Not part of a series, or not requiring familiarity with that series.
a stand-alone sequel
noun
- 1
rareA device that can operate on its own, rather than as an accessory for another device.
- 2
Something that is not a part of some series or sequence.
Near-synonym: one-off
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you pronounce stand-alone?
- UK /ˈstænd əˌləʊn/
- UK [ˈstænd‿əˌləʊn]
- US /ˈstænd əˌloʊn/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-standalone.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-stand-alone.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stand-alone
- standalone
- stand-alones plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Words people confuse with stand-alone
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: standalone (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Stand-alone in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense operating without additions or assistance:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | autonome |
| German | selbstständig, eigenständig, autark |
| Spanish | autónomo, independiente, separado |
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 stand-alone come from?
From stand + alone.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).