tentpole
/ˈtɛntˌpoʊl/noun, verb
tentpole is spelled T-E-N-T-P-O-L-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 18 million words in written English, the 127,184th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tentpole means “One of the poles used to hold up a tent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tentpole is tentpoles.
How many letters and syllables are in tentpole?
| Letters | 8: T-E-N-T-P-O-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 18 million words; the 127,184th 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 tentpole?
Tentpole appears about once in every 18 million words in written English, the 127,184th 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 tentpole?
- US /ˈtɛntˌpoʊl/
Tentpole 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 tentpole
- tentpoles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tent pole
- tentpoling participle, present
- tentpoled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tentpole mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One of the poles used to hold up a tent.
- 2
USA large-scale entertainment production that is a major source of revenue for its studio, television network, or investors.
verb
- 1
To schedule a popular programme between two newer or less popular ones in the hope that viewers will watch them.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tentpole in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense pole used to hold up a tent:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mât de tente |
| German | Zeltstange |
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 tentpole come from?
From tent + pole.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).