stranglehold
noun, verb
stranglehold is spelled S-T-R-A-N-G-L-E-H-O-L-D: 12 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, stranglehold means “A grip or control so strong as to stifle or cut off” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of stranglehold is strangleholds.
How many letters and syllables are in stranglehold?
| Letters | 12: S-T-R-A-N-G-L-E-H-O-L-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,633rd 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 stranglehold?
Stranglehold appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd 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 stranglehold?
- US
Stranglehold 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-us-stranglehold.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stranglehold
- strangleholds plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- strangleholding participle, present
- strangleheld participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stranglehold mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A grip or control so strong as to stifle or cut off.
For years the company had a stranglehold on the rest of the industry.
verb
- 1
To hold a tight grip or control.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stranglehold in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense grip or control so strong as to stifle or cut off:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Würgegriff |
| Spanish | dominio |
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 stranglehold come from?
From strangle + hold.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).