spoke

A spoke is a part of a wheel that helps it turn. Imagine that you have a bicycle wheel. The wheel is a big circle made of metal or plastic or rubber. To make the wheel turn, you need something to connect the hub, which is the center part of the wheel, to the outside edge of the wheel.

That's where the spokes come in. A spoke is a thin, strong stick that goes from the hub of the wheel to the outside edge. If you think of the wheel as a clock, the spokes are like the hours on the clock. They're evenly spaced around the wheel, and they help the wheel stay strong and stable.

Without spokes, the wheel would be floppy and wobbly, and it wouldn't turn very well. But with spokes, the wheel stays in shape and turns smoothly. When you ride your bike, the spokes help the wheel rotate around and around, which makes the bike move forward. So spokes are very important for making sure your bike (or any other kind of wheel) works the way it's supposed to.