straightaway
/ˈstɹeɪtəˌweɪ/noun, adverb, adjective
straightaway is spelled S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T-A-W-A-Y: 12 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, straightaway means “Alternative form of straightway (“A straight section of a racetrack.”)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of straightaway is straightaways.
How many letters and syllables are in straightaway?
| Letters | 12: S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T-A-W-A-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th 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 straightaway?
Straightaway appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th 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 straightaway?
- /ˈstɹeɪtəˌweɪ/
As an adverb (“Alternative form of straight away (“at once; immediately”)”): /ˌstɹeɪtəˈweɪ/.
Straightaway 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-straightaway.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-straightaway2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with straightaway
Also written: straight away (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of straightaway
- straightaways plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does straightaway mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Alternative form of straightway (“A straight section of a racetrack.”).
adjective
- 1
Extending into the distance in a straight line.
adverb
- 1
Alternative form of straight away (“at once; immediately”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).