watchword
/ˈwɒt͡ʃwɜː(ɹ)d/noun
watchword is spelled W-A-T-C-H-W-O-R-D: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,122nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, watchword means “A word used as a motto, as expressive of a principle, belief, or rule of action; a rallying cry” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of watchword is watchwords.
How many letters and syllables are in watchword?
| Letters | 9: W-A-T-C-H-W-O-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 74,122nd 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 watchword?
Watchword appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,122nd 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 watchword?
- /ˈwɒt͡ʃwɜː(ɹ)d/
Watchword 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: En-us-watchword.ogg, En-au-watchword.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of watchword
- watchwords plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does watchword mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A word used as a motto, as expressive of a principle, belief, or rule of action; a rallying cry.
- 2
A prearranged reply to the challenge of a sentry or a guard; a password or signal by which friends can be known from enemies.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Watchword in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mot d'ordre |
| German | Motto, Schlagwort, Parole , Losung, Kennwort |
| Spanish | lema, consigna , contraseña, santo y seña |
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 watchword come from?
From Middle English wacche word, wacchworde, morphologically as watch (“guard, sentinel, sentry”) + word.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).