Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings
Vowels
| iː | see | ɪ | sit | e / ɛ | bed | æ | cat |
| ɑː | father | ɒ | hot (UK) | ɔː | law | ʊ | put |
| uː | too | ʌ | cup | ɜː | bird | ə | about |
| eɪ | day | aɪ | my | ɔɪ | boy | aʊ | now |
| əʊ / oʊ | go (UK / US) | ɪə | near | eə | hair | ʊə | tour |
Consonants that look unusual
| θ | thin | ð | this | ʃ | she | ʒ | measure |
| tʃ | church | dʒ | judge | ŋ | sing | j | yes |
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
A 7,359 entries
Page 1 of 37: a – ablative
- a numeral, noun, article, preposition, verb, pronoun, adverb, adjective, contraction, interjectionThe first numeral symbol of the English alphabet, called ay and written in the Latin script.
- A battery noun(dated, electronics) A battery used to heat the filament or cathode heaters of electron tubes.
- a bit adverb, pronoun(informal) To a small extent; in a small amount.
- a cappella noun, adverb, adjective(music) A vocal performance with no instrumental accompaniment.
- a few determiner, pronounA small number of (a set of countable items); more than one but not very many; especially, more than two but not very many (explained in us…
- a fortiori adjective, adverb(logic, rhetoric) With stronger or greater reason; as a corollary implied by a stronger claim; even more so; all the more so; so much the m…
- a good deal adverb(idiomatic) Very much; to a great extent; a lot; lots.
- a great deal adverb(idiomatic) Very much; to a great extent; a lot; lots.
- à la carte adjective, adverb(food and drink) Allowing selection from a fixed list of individually priced options shown on the menu.
- a la mode adjective, adverbFashionable; in the current style or fashion.
- A level nounAlternative spelling of A-level.
- a little adverb, determiner, pronounTo a small extent or degree.
- a lot pronoun, adverb, adjective(informal) A large amount.
- a posteriori adjective, adverb(logic, philosophy) Involving induction of theories from facts.
- a priori adjective, adverbSelf-evident, intuitively obvious.
- a trifle adverbA little, slightly.
- a'man nounthe Israeli military intelligence which produces comprehensive national intelligence briefings for the prime minister and the cabinet
- A-bomb verb(slang) To bomb with an atom bomb.
- A-horizon noun(soil science) The topmost layer of the soil horizons; topsoil
- A-line adjective, nounHaving a silhouette that replicates the letter A by flaring out from the top, like a funnel, narrow and fitted at the neck and shoulders, s…
- A-list noun, adjectiveThe first of a number of lists, especially lists arranged in order of importance or preference.
- A-OK adjectiveAlternative spelling of A-okay.
- a-okay adjective(colloquial) In perfect order; thoroughly acceptable.
- a-one adjectiveof the highest quality
- A-team nounAlternative form of A team.
- A.D. adverbAlternative form of AD; initialism of anno Domini.
- a.e. adverb(mathematics) Initialism of almost everywhere.
- a.k.a. prepositionAlternative form of AKA (“also known as”).
- a.m. adverb(used after the hour) In the 12-hour period from midnight to noon (the first half of the day) when using the 12-hour clock.
- aa noun, pronoun, proper noun(volcanology) A form of lava flow associated with Hawaiian-type volcanoes, consisting of basaltic rock, usually dark-colored with a jagged …
- aaa noun, proper noun, phrase(medicine) Initialism of abdominal aortic aneurysm.
- Aachen proper nounA city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe.
- aah interjection, noun, verbIndication of amazement or surprise or enthusiasm.
- Aaland Islands proper nounAlternative form of Åland Islands.
- Aalborg proper nounA port city, the capital of North Jutland, Denmark; the fourth-largest city in Denmark.
- aalii nounA bushy small tree, Dodonaea viscosa, native to Hawaii, Australia, Africa, and tropical America, having sticky leaves and dark wood.
- Aalst proper nounA city in East Flanders, Flanders, Belgium
- aalto nounFinnish architect and designer of furniture (1898-1976)
- AAR noun, proper noun, prepositional phrase(aviation) Aircraft accident report.
- aardvark nounThe nocturnal, insectivorous, burrowing mammal Orycteropus afer, of the order Tubulidentata and somewhat resembling a pig. Common in some p…
- aardwolf nounA nocturnal, insectivorous mammal (Proteles cristatus), having yellowish fur with vertical black stripes, and a long mane down the midline …
- Aare proper nounAlternative form of Aar.
- Aarhus proper nounA city and port in Denmark, in East Jutland; the second-largest city in Denmark.
- Aaron proper noun, noun(biblical) The elder brother of Moses in the Book of the Exodus, and in the Quran.
- Aaron's rod nounVerbascum thapsus, the great mullein, common mullein, or hag-taper.
- AARP proper nounAn American advocacy group focused on issues affecting the elderly.
- Aas proper nounA village in southwest France, in the Ossau valley of the Pyrenees.
- AAVE proper nounInitialism of African-American Vernacular English.
- ab noun, verb, proper noun(slang) An abscess caused by injecting an illegal drug, usually heroin.
- ab initio adverb(law) From the time when a law, legal right or decree, contract, ownership interest, partnership (etc.) comes into force.
- aba noun, proper nounA coarse, often striped, felted fabric from the Middle East, woven from goat or camel hair.
- abaca noun, proper nounMusa textilis, a species of banana tree native to the Philippines grown for its textile, rope- and papermaking fibre.
- abacinate verb(transitive, rare) To blind by holding a red-hot metal rod or plate before the eyes
- aback adverb, noun(archaic, Geordie) Towards the back or rear; backwards.
- abactinal adjective(zoology) Pertaining to the surface or end opposite to the mouth in a radiate animal.
- abacus noun(historical, obsolete) A table or tray scattered with sand which was used for calculating or drawing.
- Abadan proper nounA port city in Khuzestan, southwestern Iran.
- Abaddon proper noun, nounThe destroyer, or angel of the bottomless pit; Apollyon;
- abaft preposition, adverb(nautical) Behind; toward the stern relative to some other object or position; aft of.
- abalone noun(Canada, US, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore) An edible univalve mollusc of the genus Haliotis, having a shell lined with mother-of-pearl.
- abamp nounAlternative form of abampere.
- abampere nounUnit of electrical current in electromagnetic and Gaussian cgs systems of units, equal to 10 amperes in SI units.
- abandon verb, noun(transitive) To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions.
- abandoned adjectiveHaving given oneself up to vice; immoral; extremely wicked, or sinning without restraint; irreclaimably wicked.
- abandoned ship verbsimple past and past participle of abandon ship
- abandonment nounThe act of abandoning, or the state of being abandoned; total desertion; relinquishment.
- abarticulation noun(anatomy) An articulation, especially one that permits free motion in the joint; a hinge joint.
- abase verb(transitive) To lower, as in condition in life, office, rank, etc., so as to cause pain or hurt feelings; to degrade, to depress, to humble…
- abased adjectiveHumbled; lowered, especially in rank, position, or prestige.
- abasement nounThe act of abasing, humbling, or bringing low.
- abash verb(transitive) To make ashamed; to embarrass; to destroy the self-possession of, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, mistake, o…
- abashed adjectiveEmbarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed.
- abashment nounThe state of feeling abashed; embarrassment from shame; timid shyness as from one's modesty being challenged.
- abasia noun(medicine) An inability to walk due to a defect in muscular coordination.
- abasic adjective(medicine) Of, pertaining to or caused by abasia.
- abatable adjectiveCapable of being abated.
- abate verb, noun, adjective, proper nounTo lessen (something) in force or intensity; to moderate.
- abatement nounThe act of abating, or the state of being abated; a lessening, diminution, or reduction; a moderation; removal or putting an end to; the su…
- abatic adjectiveAlternative form of abasic
- abatis nounA means of defense formed by felled trees, or sometimes by bent trees, the ends of whose branches are sharpened and directed outwards, or a…
- abator noun(law) a person who, without right, enters into a freehold on the death of the last possessor, before the heir or devisee
- abattis nounAlternative spelling of abatis.
- abattoir nounA public slaughterhouse for cattle, sheep, etc.
- abaxial adjective(botany, zoology) Of a side that is facing away from the axis or central line, such as the underside of a leaf, or the back of an animal.
- abaxially adverbIn an abaxial manner.
- abaya noun, proper nounSynonym of aba.
- abb nounA type of yarn for the warp.
- Abba noun, proper noun(Christianity) Father, an honorific title given to God in the New Testament, especially used in prayers.
- abbacy nounThe dignity, estate, term, or jurisdiction of an abbot or abbess.
- abbatial adjectiveBelonging to, relating to, or pertaining to an abbey, abbot, or abbess.
- abbé noun, proper nounA low-ranking member of the Roman Catholic clergy in France who is not a member of a religious order, is not a priest, and can marry and in…
- Abbe condenser nounA condenser composed of two lenses which concentrates and controls the light which passes through an examined specimen before that light en…
- abbess nounA female superior or governess of a nunnery, or convent of nuns, having the same authority over the nuns which the abbots have over the mon…
- abbey noun, proper nounThe office or dominion of an abbot or abbess.
- abbot noun, proper nounThe superior or head of an abbey or monastery.
- abbreviate verb, adjective, noun(obsolete, transitive) To shorten by omitting parts or details.
- abbreviated adjectiveShortened; made briefer.
- abbreviation nounThe result of shortening or reducing; abridgment.
- abbreviator nounA person who abbreviates or shortens.
- ABC noun, proper noun(uncountable, countable, usually plural in Canada, US) The English alphabet.
- ABC's nounplural of ABC
- abcoulomb nounA unit of electromagnetic charge equal to ten coulombs.
- ABCs noun, proper noun(US, usually plural only, countable) The alphabet.
- Abdias proper nounObadiah (biblical prophet)
- abdicable adjectiveCapable of being abdicated.
- abdicate verb(transitive, obsolete) To disclaim and expel from the family, as a father his child; to disown; to disinherit.
- abdication noun(obsolete) The act of disowning or disinheriting a child.
- abdicator noun(obsolete) A person supporting the abdication of another.
- abdomen noun(obsolete) The fat surrounding the belly.
- abdominal adjective, nounOf or pertaining to the abdomen; ventral.
- abdominal aorta nounA direct continuation of the descending aorta which forms the largest artery in the abdominal cavity.
- abdominal cavity noun(anatomy) The hollow portion of the torso within the abdomen, containing the abdominal organs, in mammals below the diaphragm.
- abdominal muscle noun(often in the plural) Any of a group of four muscles that form the abdominal wall.
- abdominal nerve plexus nounSynonym of solar plexus
- abdominal wall nounThe layer of muscles that surrounds the abdominal cavity and contains the abdominal organs.
- abdominocentesis noun(surgery) Extraction of peritoneal fluid from the abdomen for evaluation, using a trocar.
- abdominoplasty noun(surgery, uncountable) The surgical removal of excess flesh from the abdomen, usually for cosmetic reasons.
- abdominous adjectiveHaving a protuberant belly; potbellied.
- abdominousness nounthe bodily property of a protruding belly
- abdominovesical adjective(anatomy) Relating to the abdomen and the urinary bladder
- abduce verb(transitive, obsolete) To draw; to conduct away; to take away; to withdraw; to draw to a different part; to move a limb out away from the c…
- abducens noun(anatomy) Ellipsis of abducens nerve.
- abducens muscle noun(anatomy) Rectus lateralis muscle of the eye; muscle that moves the eye away from the center of the face.
- abducens nerve noun(neuroanatomy) Each of the sixth pair of cranial nerves that are the motor nerves supplying the lateral rectus in the eye.
- abducent adjective, nounDrawing away from the median axis of the body, as a muscle; see etymology abducting.
- abducent nerve noun(anatomy) Alternative spelling of abducens nerve.
- abduct verb(transitive) To take away by force; to carry away (a human being) wrongfully and usually with violence or deception; to kidnap.
- abducting verbpresent participle and gerund of abduct
- abduction nounA leading away; a carrying away.
- abductor nounOne who abducts; a kidnapper.
- abeam adverb, adjective, preposition(nautical, aircraft) On the beam; at a right angle to the centerline or keel of a vessel or aircraft; being at a bearing approximately 90° …
- abecedarian noun, adjectiveSomeone who is learning the alphabet.
- abecedarius nounAn acrostic poem in which the lines begin with the letters of the alphabet in sequence.
- abed adverb, proper nounIn bed, or on the bed; confined to bed.
- Abel proper noun(biblical) The son of Adam and Eve who was killed by his brother Cain.
- Abelard proper noun(rare) A male given name from the Germanic languages.
- abele nounThe white poplar (Populus alba).
- abelia nounAny of the various honeysuckles of the genus Abelia.
- abelian group noun(algebra) A group in which the group operation is commutative.
- abelmoschus noungenus of tropical coarse herbs having large lobed leaves and often yellow flowers
- abelmosk nounThe edible and aromatic seed pods (properly, capsules) of the Abelmoschus moschatus.
- Abenaki noun, proper noun, adjectiveA member of an Algonquian First People from northeastern North America, mainly Maine and Quebec.
- Aberdare proper nounA town in Rhondda Cynon Taf borough, South Wales (OS grid ref SO0002).
- Aberdeen proper noun, nounA port city in Aberdeen council area, Scotland, on the North Sea.
- Aberdeen Angus nounOne of a breed of black hornless beef cattle originating in Scotland.
- Aberdonian adjective, noun(British English) Of or relating to Aberdeen.
- aberrance nounState of being aberrant; a wandering from the right way; deviation from truth, rectitude.
- aberrancy nounThe condition of being aberrant; an aberrance.
- aberrant adjective, nounDiffering from the norm.
- aberrate verb(intransitive) To go astray; to diverge; to deviate (from); deviate from.
- aberration nounThe act of wandering; deviation from truth, moral rectitude; abnormal; divergence from the straight, correct, proper, normal, or from the n…
- abet verb, noun(transitive, crime) To incite; to assist or encourage by aid or countenance in crime.
- abetalipoproteinemia noun(pathology) A rare autosomal recessive disorder that interferes with the normal absorption of fat and fat-soluble vitamins from food.
- abetment noun(chiefly law) The act of abetting or assisting in a crime, wrongdoing etc.
- abettal noun(rare) An abetment.
- abetter nounAlternative form of abettor.
- abettor nounOne that abets an offender; one that incites, instigates, or encourages.
- abeyance noun(law) Expectancy; a condition when an ownership of real property is undetermined; lapse in succession of ownership of estate, or title.
- abeyant adjectiveBeing in a state of abeyance; suspended.
- abfarad noun(dated, electronics) A unit of capacitance equal to one billion (10⁹) farads, used in the centimeter-gram-second system of units
- abhenry noun(dated, physics) A unit of inductance equal to one billionth (1 x 10⁻⁹) of a henry, used in the centimeter-gram-second system of units.
- abhor verb(transitive) To regard (someone or something) as horrifying or detestable; to feel great repugnance toward.
- abhorrence noun(uncountable, countable) Extreme aversion or detestation; the feeling of utter dislike or loathing; a visceral revulsion toward something r…
- abhorrent adjective(archaic) Inconsistent with, or far removed from, something; strongly opposed.
- abhorrer nounOne who abhors.
- Abia proper nounA state of Nigeria in the South East geopolitical zone. Capital: Umuahia. Largest city: Aba.
- Abiathar proper noun(biblical) In the Old Testament, a Hebrew high priest during the reign of King David.
- abidance nounThe act of abiding or continuing; abode; stay; continuance; dwelling.
- abide verb(transitive) To endure without yielding; to withstand.
- abide by verb(transitive) To accept (a decision or law) and act in accordance with it; to conform to (a decision or law); to acquiesce to (a decision or…
- abiding adjective, nounContinuing or persisting in the same state: lasting, enduring; steadfast.
- Abidjan proper nounThe de facto capital and largest city of Ivory Coast.
- abience noun(psychology) Withdrawal from, or avoidance of a stimulus.
- abient adjective(psychology) Characterized by avoidance or withdrawal.
- abies nounA tree of the genus Abies.
- Abila proper nounAn ancient city in the Decapolis, situated between Gadara and Capitolias in modern Jordan.
- Abilene adjective, noun, proper noun(historical) Of or relating to Abila
- ability noun(obsolete) Suitableness.
- abiogenesis noun(evolutionary theory) The origination of living organisms from lifeless matter; such genesis as does not involve the action of living paren…
- abiogenetic adjective(biology) Of or pertaining to abiogenesis, originated by abiogenesis.
- abiogenist noun(biology) One who believes that life can be produced independently of antecedent life.
- abiotrophy noun(medicine) Premature degeneration of cells or tissues, especially with genetic causes; loss of function of organ or cell, not due to injury.
- Abiud proper nounA proper name in the King James New Testament (at MAT 1:13).
- abject adjective, noun, verbExisting in or sunk to a low condition, position, or state; contemptible, despicable, miserable.
- abjection nounA low or downcast condition; meanness of spirit; abasement; degradation.
- abjectly adverbIn an abject fashion; with great shame; desperately.
- abjuration nounA solemn recantation or renunciation on oath; as, an abjuration of heresy.
- abjure verbTo solemnly reject (someone or something); to abandon (someone or something) forever; to disavow, to disclaim, to repudiate.
- abjurer nounOne who abjures.
- Abkhas proper noun, noun(ethnography) Alternative form of Abkhaz.
- Abkhasian adjective, noun, proper nounAlternative spelling of Abkhazian.
- Abkhaz adjective, noun, proper nounAbkhazian: of or pertaining to Abkhazia, the Abkhazian people, or their language.
- Abkhazia proper nounA geographic region and de-facto independent but largely unrecognized country on the coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of …
- Abkhazian adjective, noun, proper nounOf or pertaining to Abkhazia, a disputed territory in Georgia.
- ablactate verb(rare) To wean.
- ablactation nounThe weaning of a child from the breast, or of young animals from their dam.
- ablate verb(transitive) To remove or decrease something by cutting, erosion, melting, evaporation, or vaporization.
- ablated verbsimple past and past participle of ablate
- ablation noun(obsolete) A carrying or taking away; removal.
- ablative adjective, noun(grammar) Applied to one of the cases of the noun in some languages, the fundamental meaning of the case being removal, separation, or taki…