tripwire
noun, verb
tripwire is spelled T-R-I-P-W-I-R-E: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tripwire means “A cord or wire arranged so that when snagged or pulled by an intruder, it will trigger a detector or trap or a device, such as a land mine” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tripwire is tripwires.
How many letters and syllables are in tripwire?
| Letters | 8: T-R-I-P-W-I-R-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 76,798th 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 tripwire?
Tripwire appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th 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).
Words people confuse with tripwire
Also written: trip wire (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of tripwire
- tripwires plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- trip wire
- tripwiring participle, present
- tripwired participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tripwire mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A cord or wire arranged so that when snagged or pulled by an intruder, it will trigger a detector or trap or a device, such as a land mine.
Seeing the tripwire of a nearby bouncing Betty gave us cold chills, and we moved all the more slowly through the woods.
- 2
Any means of detecting intruders or attackers.
verb
- 1
To set a tripwire mechanism in (a location).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tripwire in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a passive triggering mechanism:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fil de détente |
| German | Stolperdraht |
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 tripwire come from?
From trip + wire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).