Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

for goodness' sake

/fɔɹ ˈɡʊdnəs seɪk/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.94 in modern English

Syllables: for -good-ness' sake
IPA: /fɔɹ ˈɡʊdnəs seɪk/

24

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Used to express frustration, exasperation, annoyance.

prep_phrase

Used to express surprise or amazement.

prep_phrase

Used for emphasis

Example Sentences

"For goodness' sake, get off the computer! You've been on there for ages!"
"You're 47, for goodness' sake. Too old for this!"
"She's 1.98m for goodness sake! How can you not find her!?"
"For goodness' sake, I spelled that word correctly. I never knew I could do that."
"No salesman is ever a bore if he can make us throw up our hands and say, "Well, for goodness' sake! What do you know about that ?" Yes, surprise is the thing."
"“For goodness' sake,” Einstein exclaimed. “So that was the famous caviar!" He paused for a moment, then added, "Well, if you offer gourmet food to peasants like me, you know they won't appreciate it.""

Etymology

A minced version of for God's sake.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /fɔɹ ˈɡʊdnəs seɪk/
British English: /fə ˈɡʊdnəs seɪk/

Inflected Forms

for goodness' sake ! (canonical) for goodness sake (alternative, nonstandard) for goodness's sake (alternative)

Synonyms

for God's sake for Christ's sake Jesus Christ! Christ almighty! for fuck's sake FFS for crying out loud for Pete's sake for the love of God

Questions

How do you pronounce for goodness' sake?: The recorded pronunciation is /fɔɹ ˈɡʊdnəs seɪk/.
What does for goodness' sake mean?: Used to express frustration, exasperation, annoyance.
Where does for goodness' sake come from?: A minced version of for God's sake.

How to pronounce for goodness' sake

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “for goodness' sake”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/fɔɹ ˈɡʊdnəs seɪk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “for goodness' sake”.
Repeat and practice — Say “for goodness' sake” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.