Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

crackerjack

/ˈkɹækɚd͡ʒæk/ adjective, noun

Forms crackerjacks crackajack crack-a-jack cracker-jack cracker jack

  1. adjective Exceptionally fine or excellent; top-notch; high quality.
  2. adjective Expert, top-rated or high-performing.
  3. noun An exceptionally fine or excellent thing or person.
  4. noun An expert or top-rated individual (e.g., a marksman).
  5. adjective (US, slang) Referring to clothing items (pants, jersey, collar) that constitute the traditional blue uniform of the enlisted men of the US Navy.
  6. noun (US, slang, in the plural) The traditional blue uniforms of the enlisted men of the US Navy.
  7. noun (US, slang) A U.S. Navy sailor.

Synonyms

cracking jimdandy jimhickey

Etymology

From crack (“highly skilled, excellent”) + -er + jack (“man”).

From the trademark Cracker Jack popcorn snack featuring a blue sailor-suited man on the box.

Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “crackerjack”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details