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
G 3,781 entries
Page 1 of 19: g – galumph
- g numeral, nounThe seventh numeral symbol of the English alphabet, called gee and written in the Latin script.
- G clef noun(music) A clef indicating the position of one-lined G (g′ or G4) on a staff.
- g-force noun(physics) The acceleration of a body relative to the freefall acceleration due to any local gravitational field, expressed in multiples of …
- g-jo nountreatment of symptoms by applying pressure with the fingers to specific pressure points on the body
- G-man noun(historical) A US government agent fighting organized crime in the interwar years.
- g-string nounA scanty covering for the genitalia, with a thin strip of fabric that passes between the buttocks.
- G.I. nounAlternative form of GI.
- Ga proper noun, nounA Niger-Congo language spoken in Ghana and Togo.
- GAAP noun(accounting) Acronym of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
- gab noun, verb, proper nounIdle chatter.
- GABA noun(biochemistry) Acronym of gamma-aminobutyric acid.
- gabapentin noun(organic chemistry, pharmacology) An anticonvulsant drug C₉H₁₇NO₂ structurally related to gamma-aminobutyric acid that is administered oral…
- gabardine noun(uncountable, countable) A type of woolen cloth with a diagonal ribbed texture on one side.
- Gabbatha proper noun(biblical) The Aramaic name of a place in Jerusalem, thought to be the place of the trial of Jesus before his crucifixion
- gabble verb, noun(ambitransitive) To talk fast, idly, foolishly, or without meaning.
- gabbro noun(geology) Originally, a kind of serpentine; now generally a coarsely crystalline, igneous rock consisting of lamellar pyroxene and labrador…
- gabby adjective, proper noun(informal) Inclined to talk too much.
- gaberdine nounAlternative form of gabardine (“long cloak”).
- gabfest noun(slang, chiefly US) An occasion (such as a meeting) where people talk at length.
- gable noun, proper noun(architecture) The triangular area at the peak of an external wall adjacent to, and terminating, two sloped roof surfaces (pitches).
- gable end noun(architecture) The side of a building which is topped by a gable
- gable roof noun(roofing) A single-ridge roof that terminates at gable ends.
- gabled adjectiveHaving one or more gables.
- Gabon proper nounA country in Central Africa. Official name: Gabonese Republic. Capital: Libreville.
- Gabonese noun, adjectiveA person from Gabon or of Gabonese descent.
- Gabonese Republic proper nounOfficial name of Gabon: a country in West Africa.
- gaboon viper nounA large venomous viper, Bitis gabonica, found in African rainforests.
- Gabor proper noun, nounA surname from Hungarian.
- gaboriau nounFrench writer considered by some to be a founder of the detective novel (1832-1873)
- Gaborone proper nounThe capital city of Botswana.
- Gabriel proper nounA male given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew].
- Gabun proper nounArchaic form of Gabon.
- Gad proper noun, interjection, verb, noun(biblical) The seventh son of Jacob, by his wife's handmaid Zilpah.
- Gadaba nounA member of a particular ethnic group of eastern India.
- gadabout nounA person who restlessly moves from place to place, seeking amusement or the companionship of others.
- Gadarenes proper nounA proper name in the King James New Testament (first at MRK 5:1).
- Gaddafi proper nounA transliteration of the Arabic surname القَذَّافِيّ (al-qaḏḏāfiyy).
- gaddi noun, proper nounA member of a semipastoral tribe of India.
- gadfly nounAny dipterous (“two-winged”) insect or fly of the family Oestridae (commonly known as a bot fly) or Tabanidae (horse fly), noted for irrita…
- gadget noun(obsolete) A thing whose name cannot be remembered; thingamajig, doohickey.
- gadgeteer nounSomeone interested in, or owning a lot of, gadgets.
- gadgetry noun(uncountable) Machines, technology.
- gadidae nounlarge family of important mostly marine food fishes
- gadiformes nouncods, haddocks, grenadiers; in some classifications considered equivalent to the order Anacanthini
- gadoid adjective, nounOf or pertaining to cod, to the Gadidae family of related fish, or to fish asserted to closely resemble them.
- gadolinite noun(mineralogy) A dark, vitreous mineral that is a complex mixture of silicates of cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, yttrium, beryllium, and iron,…
- gadolinium noun(chemistry) A chemical element (symbol Gd) with atomic number 64: a ductile silvery-white metal.
- Gadsden proper nounA surname.
- gadus nountype genus of the Gadidae: the typical codfishes
- Gaea proper nounAlternative spelling of Gaia.
- Gael noun, proper nounA member of an ethnic group in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, whose language is one that is Gaelic.
- Gaelic proper noun, adjectiveGoidelic; any Goidelic language.
- gaelic-speaking adjectiveable to communicate in Gaelic
- gaff noun, verb, proper nounA tool consisting of a large metal hook with a handle or pole, especially the one used to pull large fish aboard a boat.
- Gaff Topsail proper nounAn abandoned railway settlement in central Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The entire railway on Newfoundland was closed d…
- gaffe nounA foolish and embarrassing error, especially one made in public; a social blunder; a breach of etiquette.
- gaffer noun, proper noun(film) A chief lighting technician for a motion-picture or television production.
- gaffsail noun(nautical) A topsail above the uppermost or only spanker.
- Gafsa proper nounA city in Tunisia.
- gag noun, verbA device to restrain speech, such as a rag in the mouth secured with tape or a rubber ball threaded onto a cord or strap.
- gag order noun(law) An order issued by a court prohibiting specified persons from discussing a case outside limitations set by the court.
- gag reflex nounA reflex contraction of the back of the throat, evoked by touching the soft palate.
- gag rule nounA rule that limits or forbids the consideration or discussion of a particular topic by members of a legislative or decision-making body.
- gaga adjectiveMentally senile.
- Gagarin proper nounA transliteration of the Russian surname Гага́рин (Gagárin).
- gage verb, noun, proper nounTo bind (someone) by pledge or security; to engage.
- gaggle noun, verb(collective) A group of geese when they are on the ground or on the water; other groups of birds.
- gagman nounA writer or performer of gags.
- gagster nounjoker; comedian
- gagwriter nounOne who writes jokes.
- Gaia proper noun(ecology) The ecosystem of the Earth regarded as a self-regulating superorganism.
- gaiety noun(dated, uncountable) The state of being happy or merry.
- gaillardia nounAny of several New World flowering plants of the genus Gaillardia
- gaily adverb(dated) Merrily.
- gain verb, noun, preposition, adjective, adverb, proper noun(transitive) To acquire possession of.
- gain ground verbTo make progress or obtain advantage; to gain traction.
- gainer noun, proper nounOne who gains a profit or advantage.
- Gainesville proper nounA town in Sumter County, Alabama.
- gainful adjectiveContrary.
- gainfully adverbIn a gainful manner; profitably.
- gainfulness nounThe state or quality of being gainful; profitableness.
- gainlessly adverbIn a gainless manner; unprofitably
- gainly adverb, adjectiveSuitably; fitly; conveniently; readily.
- gains noun(bodybuilding) Increase in muscle mass.
- gainsay verb(transitive, formal) To say something in contradiction to.
- gainsayer nounOne who contradicts or denies what is alleged; an opposer.
- gainsaying nounOpposition, especially in speech.
- Gainsborough proper noun, nounA surname.
- Gaiseric proper noun(rare) A male given name from Latin, of historical usage, notably borne by a Vandalic King who ruled over North Africa.
- gait noun, verbA manner of walking or stepping; a bearing or carriage while moving on legs.
- gaiter noun, verb, proper nounA covering of cloth or leather for the ankle and instep.
- Gaius proper nounA male given name from Latin, of rare usage
- gal noun, proper noun(colloquial) A young woman or girl; generally a form of rural Southern slang.
- gala adjective, noun, proper nounCelebratory; festive.
- galactagogue nounA substance that induces lactation.
- galactic adjective, proper nounRelating to a galaxy.
- galactocele nounA cystic tumor containing milk or a milky substance, usually located in the mammary glands, and caused by a protein plug that blocks off th…
- galactose noun(biochemistry) A monosaccharide found, along with lactose, in dairy products, and is synthesized by the body where it is found associated w…
- galactosemia noun(medicine) A genetic metabolic disorder characterized by an inability to metabolize galactose properly.
- galactosis nounthe secretion of milk
- galago nounAny of several species of small, nocturnal and arboreal African primates, of the family Galagidae, with a catlike head and very large, tran…
- Galahad proper noun, noun(Arthurian legend) Sir Galahad, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table famously known for his purity and who was one of the three achievers …
- Galan proper nounA surname from Spanish.
- galangal nounAny of several east Asian plants of genera Alpinia and Kaempferia in the ginger family, used as a spice, but principally Alpinia galanga.
- galantine noun(now historical) A spiced, thickened sauce served with fish or poultry.
- galanty show noun(historical) A show performed using silhouettes and shadow puppets.
- galapagos proper nounA province of Ecuador comprising the islands.
- Galapagos Islands proper nounAn archipelago off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, famed for their influence on Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selectio…
- galatea noun, proper noun(textiles) A strong cotton fabric with diagonal twill weave
- Galatia proper nounA historical region of ancient Asia Minor, in what is now central Turkey.
- Galatian adjective, noun, proper nounOf or pertaining to Galatia.
- Galatians proper noun(biblical) The ninth book of the New Testament of the Bible, the epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians.
- Galax proper nounAn independent city in Virginia, United States.
- galaxy noun, verb, proper noun(now rare) The Milky Way; the apparent band of concentrated stars which appears in the night sky over earth.
- galbanum nounA bitter, aromatic resin or gum, extracted from plants of the genus Ferula, that resembles assafoetida and has been used in incense and in …
- Galbraith proper nounA surname from Scottish Gaelic.
- galbulidae nounjacamars
- galbulus nounA fleshy seed-producing cone of junipers and cypresses
- gale verb, noun, proper noun(intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To cry; groan; croak.
- galea noun, proper nounA Roman helmet.
- galega noun(botany) Any plant of genus Galega.
- Galen proper noun, nounAelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus, a Roman and Greek physician, surgeon, and philosopher (129 – c. 216 CE).
- galena noun, proper noun(mineralogy) A mineral, lead sulphide (PbS), mined as an ore for lead.
- galeocerdo nountiger sharks
- galeopsis nounerect annual European herbs
- galeorhinus nouna genus of Carcharhinidae
- galeras nounan active volcano in southeastern Colombia in the Andes
- galère noun(rare, chiefly literary) An undesirable, difficult, or burdensome situation.
- Galicia proper nounA former kingdom and autonomous community in northwestern Spain.
- Galician adjective, nounOf, from or relating to Galicia, Spain.
- galilaean noun, adjectivean inhabitant of Galilee (an epithet of Jesus Christ)
- Galilean adjective, noun, proper nounOf or pertaining to Galilee, or a native or inhabitant thereof.
- Galilean telescope noun(astronomy) a type of refracting telescope (refractor) similar to the one used by Galileo Galilei.
- Galilee proper noun, nounA mountainous geographic region in northern Israel.
- galileo noun, proper nounThe CGS unit of acceleration, equal to 1 centimetre per second per second (1 centimeter per second squared, 1cm/s^2). Symbol: Gal
- Galilæan proper nounA proper name in the King James New Testament (first at LUK 22:59).
- Galilæans proper nounA proper name in the King James New Testament (first at LUK 13:1).
- galingale nounOne of several species of Cyperus sedges with aromatic rhizomes.
- galium noun(botany) Any of the genus Galium of annual and perennial herbaceous plants, including the bedstraws.
- gall noun, verb, proper noun(uncountable) Impudence or brazenness; temerity; chutzpah.
- gall bladder noun(anatomy) A pear-shaped organ that stores bile from the liver, until the body needs it for the digestion and absorption of fats in the duod…
- gall gnat nounA gall midge.
- gall midge nounAny insect of the Cecidomyiidae family, whose larvae damage crops and other plants, creating galls on the stems and other fleshy parts.
- gall of the earth nounAlternative form of gall-of-the-earth.
- gall wasp nounAny insect of the family Cynipidae, whose larvae damage plants, particularly oak trees, creating galls.
- gall-berry nounevergreen holly of eastern North America with oblong leathery leaves and small black berries
- gallamine nounA substituted ammonium salt C₂₄H₄₅N₃O₃ that is used to produce muscle relaxation especially during anesthesia.
- gallant adjective, noun, verb, proper nounBrave, valiant, courteous, especially with regard to male attitudes towards women.
- gallantly adverbIn a gallant or gentlemanly manner; with social graces.
- gallantry nouncourage.
- Gallaudet proper nounA surname.
- gallberry nounEither of two forms of holly whose nectar is used by bees to make a mild form of honey.
- gallbladder nounAlternative spelling of gall bladder.
- galled adjectiveSore; exasperated.
- galleon nounA large, three-masted, square rigged sailing ship with at least two decks.
- galleria nounAn indoor area, or covered courtyard, containing shops.
- gallery noun, verb, proper nounAn institution, building, or room for the exhibition and conservation of important objects, especially works of art.
- galley noun, proper noun(nautical, historical) A long, slender ship propelled primarily by oars, whether having masts and sails or not; usually a rowed warship use…
- galley proof noun(printing) A trial page or proof of continuous text that has not been divided into pages.
- galley slave noun(historical, nautical) A slave who rows in a galley (type of ship).
- gallfly nounSynonym of gall wasp.
- Gallia proper nounA surname from Italian.
- Galliano nounLiquore Galliano L'Autentico, a bright yellow Italian liqueur flavoured with herbs, star anise and vanilla, and used in several cocktails i…
- gallic adjective, proper nounOf, pertaining to, or derived from galls.
- gallic acid noun(organic chemistry) a phenolic carboxylic acid, 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, found in galls, tea, the bark of some trees etc; a constituen…
- Gallican adjective, nounRelating to Gaul or France; Gallic; French.
- Gallicanism noun(historical, chiefly Roman Catholicism) The doctrine that the church of France is autonomous, especially in relation to the pope; also, the…
- gallicism noun(countable, rhetoric) A loanword borrowed from French.
- galliformes nounpheasants; turkeys; grouse; partridges; quails; chickens; brush turkeys; curassows; hoatzins
- gallimaufry noun(dated, countable, uncountable) A hash of various kinds of meats; a ragout.
- Gallina proper nounA surname from Italian.
- gallinacean noun(zoology, archaic) One of the former taxonomic order Gallinae (gallinaceous birds) of birds resembling fowl.
- gallinaceous adjective(zoology) Related to the genus Gallus, poultry; notably said of the order Galliformes.
- gallinago nounsnipes
- galling adjective, nounVexing, humiliating; eliciting indignation or bitterness.
- gallinula noungallinules
- gallinule nounA bird of one of several species in the genera Porphyrio and Gallinula of the family Rallidae.
- Gallio noun, proper noun(dated) A careless, easygoing man who keeps himself free from trouble and responsibility.
- gallirallus nounrails of New Zealand
- gallium nounA chemical element (symbol Ga) with an atomic number of 31; a soft bluish metal.
- gallivant verb(intransitive) To roam about for pleasure without any definite plan.
- gallon noun, proper nounA unit of volume, equivalent to eight pints
- gallop noun, verb, proper nounThe fastest gait of a horse, a two-beat stride during which all four legs are off the ground simultaneously.
- gallous adjectiveFit to be hanged; wicked; mischievous.
- galloway noun, proper nounA kind of small horse originally bred in Galloway, Scotland.
- gallows noun, adverbA wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging.
- gallows bird noun(archaic) A person who deserves, or is likely, to be hanged.
- gallows tree nounA tree used as a gallows, a tree from which people are hanged (killed by hanging).
- gallows-tree nounalternative terms for gallows
- gallstone noun(biology, medicine) A small, hard object, in the shape of a pebble, that sometimes forms in the gallbladder or bile duct; composed of chole…
- Gallup proper noun(countable) A surname.
- gallus noun(US, dialect, dated) One strap of a pair of galluses (suspenders).
- Galois proper nounA surname from French.
- Galois theory noun(algebra, field theory) The branch of mathematics dealing with Galois groups, Galois fields, and polynomial equations. It provides a link b…
- galoot noun(derogatory) A clumsy or uncouth person.
- galore adjective, noun, adverb, proper noun(postpositive) In abundance.
- galosh noun, verb(UK) A waterproof overshoe used to provide protection from rain or snow.
- Galsworthy proper nounA surname from Old English.
- Galton proper nounA surname.
- galumph verb(intransitive) To move heavily and clumsily, or with a sense of prancing and triumph.