Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hen's tooth

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.00 in modern English

Syllables: hen's -tooth
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Anything not naturally occurring.

Example Sentences

"as rare as a hen's tooth"
"Indeed, many of the Dutch in Pernambuco were won over to the Church of Rome, ‘whereas converts from Catholicism to Calvinism were as rare as hens’ teeth’."

Etymology

Example of a jocularly non-existent phenomenon, as many birds lack any teeth (having developed a bill instead). Compare horsefeathers and when pigs fly.

Inflected Forms

hen's teeth (plural) hens' teeth (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

unobtanium

Synonyms

rocking horse shit black swan hen's tooth lightning in a bottle one in a million rara avis rare bird rarity unicorn

Questions

What does hen's tooth mean?: Anything not naturally occurring.
Where does hen's tooth come from?: Example of a jocularly non-existent phenomenon, as many birds lack any teeth (having developed a bill instead). Compare horsefeathers and when pigs fly.

How to pronounce hen's tooth

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hen's tooth”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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