tailback
/ˈteɪlˌbæk/noun
tailback is spelled T-A-I-L-B-A-C-K: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,913th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tailback means “A line of motor vehicles causing or the result of traffic congestion or a traffic jam” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tailback is tailbacks.
How many letters and syllables are in tailback?
| Letters | 8: T-A-I-L-B-A-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 65,913th 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 tailback?
Tailback appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,913th 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 tailback?
- US /ˈteɪlˌbæk/
Tailback has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of tailback
- tailbacks plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tailback mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
CommonwealthIrelandUKA line of motor vehicles causing or the result of traffic congestion or a traffic jam.
- 2
A running back or halfback who lines up furthest to the rear in an I formation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tailback in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a traffic jam:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | embouteillage |
| German | Stau |
| Portuguese | fila |
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 tailback come from?
From tail + back.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).