wheelchair
/ˈ(h)wilt͡ʃɛɹ/noun, verb
wheelchair is spelled W-H-E-E-L-C-H-A-I-R: 10 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 7.2 times per million words in written English, the 8,784th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, wheelchair means “A chair mounted on large wheels for the transportation or use of a sick or disabled person” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of wheelchair is wheelchairs.
How many letters and syllables are in wheelchair?
| Letters | 10: W-H-E-E-L-C-H-A-I-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.2 times per million words; the 8,784th 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 wheelchair?
Wheelchair appears 7.2 times per million words in written English, the 8,784th 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 wheelchair?
- UK /ˈwiːlt͡ʃɛə(ɹ)/
- US /ˈ(h)wilt͡ʃɛɹ/
Wheelchair 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-wheelchair.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of wheelchair
- wheelchairs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- wheel-chair
- wheelchairing participle, present
- wheelchaired participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wheelchair mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A chair mounted on large wheels for the transportation or use of a sick or disabled person.
- 2
Designed for use by wheelchairbound people.
- 3
Any device involving wheels designed to assist a nonhuman animal with locomotion.
verb
- 1
To move using a wheelchair.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate wheelchair?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of wheelchair: w/c.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wheelchair in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense chair:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fauteuil roulant, chaise roulante |
| German | Rollstuhl, Krankenfahrstuhl, Fahrstuhl |
| Portuguese | cadeira de rodas |
| Spanish | silla de ruedas |
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 wheelchair come from?
From wheel + chair.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).