Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

four-letter man

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.80 in modern English

Syllables: four-let-ter -man
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

4

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An athlete who has earned varsity letters in four different sports, typically football, basketball, baseball, and track.

Example Sentences

"He was the best four-letter man state ever had."

Etymology

From the varsity letters.

Inflected Forms

four-letter men (plural)

Questions

What does four-letter man mean?: An athlete who has earned varsity letters in four different sports, typically football, basketball, baseball, and track.
Where does four-letter man come from?: From the varsity letters.

How to pronounce four-letter man

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