Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

in a family way

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.49 in modern English

Syllables: in- a -fam-i-ly way
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

5

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Alternative form of in the family way.

prep_phrase

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see family, way.

Example Sentences

"She mentioned that she was in a family way and . . . stated that she needed all her money to pay the doctor's bills at the approaching deliverance."
"Her way of paying for these gift subscriptions was to choose one of her sows which was in a family way and, when the sow littered, to sell its offspring."
"Three pregnancies occur in this novel: Nina, Fran and Danielle all find themselves in a family way."
"Why don't we ask him and his ladies to come over in a family way and dine with some other plain country gentlefolks?"
"The congregation agrees in a family way to take care of them for life."

Questions

What does in a family way mean?: Alternative form of in the family way.

How to pronounce in a family way

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “in a family way”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “in a family way” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.