Hands-Free: How To Spell It and What It Means

Hands free, handsfree
Hands-free

What Does “Hands-Free” Mean?

Hands-free is an adjective that means “designed to be used without being held in the hands.”

New cars give drivers the ability to use their phones completely hands-free through voice commands.

“Hands-Free” or “Hands Free”?

When referring to this adjective, it’s always spelled as a hyphenated compound word: hands-free.

AirPods use Bluetooth technology to give users a hands-free experience on their iPhones.

AirPods use Bluetooth technology to give users a hands free experience on their iPhones.

AirPods use Bluetooth technology to give users a handsfree experience on their iPhones.

Words that can sometimes be used in place of hands-free are:

voice-activated
voice-controlled
automated
autonomous

What About “Hands-off” and “Hands-on”?

Don’t get hands-free mixed up with these two words: hands-off and hands-on.

Hands-off is an adjective that means “not involving or requiring direct intervention.”

They were looking for a hands-off approach.

Hands-on means the opposite, “involving direct involvement or intervention.” For example:

LanguageTool’s editor is effortlessly hands-on in that it will detect and correct spelling and grammar errors as you type. Not only will it do this, but also provide synonyms and stylistic improvements.