tumbleweed
/ˈtʌmbəlˌwid/noun
tumbleweed is spelled T-U-M-B-L-E-W-E-E-D: 10 letters. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 50,539th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tumbleweed means “Any plant which habitually breaks away from its roots once dry, forming a light, rolling mass which is driven by the wind from place to place; as…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tumbleweed is tumbleweeds.
How many letters and syllables are in tumbleweed?
| Letters | 10: T-U-M-B-L-E-W-E-E-D |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 50,539th 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 tumbleweed?
Tumbleweed appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 50,539th 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 tumbleweed?
- UK /ˈtʌmbəlwiːd/
- US /ˈtʌmbəlˌwid/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-tumbleweed.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tumbleweed
- tumbleweeds plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tumbleweed mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any plant which habitually breaks away from its roots once dry, forming a light, rolling mass which is driven by the wind from place to place; as Russian thistle, wild indigo, witch grass, Amaranthus albus, etc.
- 2
Describing unwanted silence and inactivity. Often used of a situation when one makes a statement that is ignored or ill-received by one's audience, as the resultant silence is likened to that of a desolate desert with rolling tumbleweeds.
- 3
A tan colour, like that of a tumbleweed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tumbleweed in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense plant which breaks loose and is driven by the wind:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | virevoltant |
| German | Steppenläufer, Bodenläufer, Steppenroller, Bodenroller |
| Portuguese | bola de feno, salsola |
| Spanish | estepicursor, estepicursora, planta rodadora |
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 tumbleweed come from?
From tumble + weed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).