toehold
/ˈtəʊhəʊld/noun
toehold is spelled T-O-E-H-O-L-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 102,771st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, toehold means “A foothold small enough to support just the toe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of toehold is toeholds.
How many letters and syllables are in toehold?
| Letters | 7: T-O-E-H-O-L-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 102,771st 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 toehold?
Toehold appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 102,771st 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 toehold?
- UK /ˈtəʊhəʊld/
Toehold 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-toehold.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of toehold
- toeholds plural
- toe-hold
- toe hold
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does toehold mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A foothold small enough to support just the toe.
- 2
Any small advantage which allows one to make significant progress; a slight footing or foothold.
- 3
A hold in which the aggressor bends back the opponent's foot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Toehold in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Any small advantage:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prise |
| German | Ansatzpunkt |
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 toehold come from?
From toe + hold.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).