Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

handwavy

/ˈhændˌweɪvi/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
hand-wavy
IPA
/ˈhændˌweɪvi/
21
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Missing important details or logical steps, perhaps instead appealing to laymen, common sense, tradition, intuition, or examples.

Informal

Usage

Inflected Forms

more handwavy (comparative) most handwavy (superlative) hand-wavy (alternative)

Phrases

hand waving wave away wave of the hand

Frequently Paired Words

handwave handwaver handwaving hand waving handwavium wave away wave of the hand

Questions

How do you pronounce handwavy?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhændˌweɪvi/.
What does handwavy mean?
Missing important details or logical steps, perhaps instead appealing to laymen, common sense, tradition, intuition, or examples.

How to pronounce handwavy

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