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.