stopcock
/ˈstɑpkɑk/noun, verb
stopcock is spelled S-T-O-P-C-O-C-K: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 32 million words in written English, the 173,967th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, stopcock means “A valve, tap or faucet which regulates the flow of liquid or gas through a pipe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of stopcock is stopcocks.
How many letters and syllables are in stopcock?
| Letters | 8: S-T-O-P-C-O-C-K |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 32 million words; the 173,967th 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 stopcock?
Stopcock appears about once in every 32 million words in written English, the 173,967th 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 stopcock?
- US /ˈstɑpkɑk/
- UK /ˈstɒpkɒk/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-stopcock.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stopcock
- stopcocks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- stopcocking participle, present
- stopcocked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stopcock mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A valve, tap or faucet which regulates the flow of liquid or gas through a pipe.
- 2
UKA main shutoff for water to a home from a municipal supply. Usually these valves exist in pairs, one outside the property boundary and one inside the property boundary.
If you have a burst pipe, turn the water off at the stopcock.
verb
- 1
To control the gas pressure in (an oil well) by keeping the well closed in and the gas confined except during set intervals when the oil is flowed or pumped.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stopcock in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | robinet d'arrêt, vanne |
| German | Absperrhahn |
| Spanish | llave de cierre |
| Portuguese | torneira de segurança |
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 stopcock come from?
From stop + cock.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).