Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hand-held

/ˈhændˌhɛld/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 5.02 in modern English

Syllables: hand-held
IPA: /ˈhændˌhɛld/

16

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Held in one or both hands.

adj

Small and light enough to be operated while held in one or both hands.

noun

A personal digital assistant or video game console that is small enough to be held in the hands.

noun

A snack food that is held in the hands while eating.

Example Sentences

"He filmed the scene with a hand-held camera."
"The hand-held game console became popular with children."
"This device is small and hand-held, perfect for travel."
"Near-synonyms: handheld console, hand-portable"
"We offer sandwiches, tacos, and other hand-helds."

Etymology

From hand + held.

Inflected Forms

hand held (alternative) handheld (alternative) hand-helds (plural)

Phrases

handheld console handheld terminal

Frequently Paired Words

mobile portable

Synonyms

handheld console hand-portable handheld

Questions

How do you pronounce hand-held?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhændˌhɛld/.
What does hand-held mean?: Held in one or both hands.
Where does hand-held come from?: From hand + held.

How to pronounce hand-held

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hand-held”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhændˌhɛld/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hand-held”.
Repeat and practice — Say “hand-held” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.