yoyo
noun, verb
yoyo is spelled Y-O-Y-O: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Yoyo, the name). As a noun, yoyo means “Alternative spelling of yo-yo” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of yoyo is yoyos.
How many letters and syllables are in yoyo?
| Letters | 4: Y-O-Y-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,633rd 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 yoyo?
Yoyo appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Yoyo, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce yoyo?
- US
Yoyo 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)-Flame,_not_lame-yoyo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with yoyo
Also written: yo-yo (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of yoyo
- yoyos plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- yoyoing participle, present
- yoyoed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does yoyo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Alternative spelling of yo-yo.
phrase
- 1
Initialism of you're on your own.
verb
- 1
Alternative spelling of yo-yo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does yoyo come from?
Genericized trademark. Likely from Ilocano yóyo or another Philippine cognate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).