Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

brass ceiling

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.81 in modern English

Syllables
brass -ceil-ing
IPA
17
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An unwritten, uncodified barrier to promotion or progression for women in law enforcement or the military.

Etymology

From brass (“indicating high-ranking officers”) + ceiling (“suggesting a barrier to upward advancement”).

Inflected Forms

brass ceilings (plural)

Phrases

glass ceiling bamboo ceiling cotton ceiling

Frequently Paired Words

glass ceiling bamboo ceiling cotton ceiling

Questions

What does brass ceiling mean?
An unwritten, uncodified barrier to promotion or progression for women in law enforcement or the military.
Where does brass ceiling come from?
From brass (“indicating high-ranking officers”) + ceiling (“suggesting a barrier to upward advancement”).

How to pronounce brass ceiling

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “brass ceiling”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “brass ceiling”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “brass ceiling” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.