tailgate
/ˈteɪlˌɡeɪt/noun, verb
tailgate is spelled T-A-I-L-G-A-T-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tailgate means “A hinged board or hatch at the rear of a vehicle that can be lowered for loading and unloading” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tailgate is tailgates.
How many letters and syllables are in tailgate?
| Letters | 8: T-A-I-L-G-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,214th 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 tailgate?
Tailgate appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th 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 tailgate?
- US /ˈteɪlˌɡeɪt/
Tailgate has 2 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-tailgate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with tailgate
Also written: tail-gate (one word or two), tailgate party.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of tailgate
- tailgates plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tail-gate
- tail gate
- tailgating participle, present
- tailgated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tailgate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A hinged board or hatch at the rear of a vehicle that can be lowered for loading and unloading.
Drop the tailgate, please, and I'll load these pallets.
- 2
UKThe hinged rear door of a hatchback.
Open up the tailgate, please, and retrieve her suitcases.
- 3
The downstream gate in the lock on a canal or river, or in an irrigation system.
The locktender closed the tailgate and the chamber started to fill.
- 4
USEllipsis of tailgate party.
Are you coming to the tailgate? We'll be grilling brisket.
- 5
A tunnel for drawing spent air away from the working face of a mine.
verb
- 1
To drive dangerously close behind another vehicle.
That idiot has been tailgating me for the last five minutes.
- 2
To follow another person through access control on their access, rather than on one’s own credentials, especially when entering a door controlled by a card reader.
- 3
To privately purchase or sell a security immediately after trading in the same security for a client.
- 4
USTo participate in a tailgate party.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tailgate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hayon , vantail, porte , coller, coller aux basques, coller au train |
| German | Heckklappe , dicht auffahren, drängeln |
| Spanish | puerta trasera , chupar rueda, conducir pegado a, conducir muy cerca de otro vehículo, conducir sin distancia de seguridad |
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 tailgate come from?
From tail + gate. Compare liftgate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).