Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

in the closet

/ɪn ðə ˈklɑzɪt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.13 in modern English

Syllables: in- the -clos-et
IPA: /ɪn ðə ˈklɑzɪt/

16

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Not open about one's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.

Colloquial

prep_phrase

Not open about some feature of one's life; often construed with about.

Colloquial

Example Sentences

"Was he in control of that narrative? Most likely not. If he’d had the choice, he would have stayed in the closet."
"She's in the closet about her gambling addiction."
"She's in the gambling-addiction closet."

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɪn ðə ˈklɑzɪt/
British English: /ɪn ðə ˈklɒzɪt/

Usage

Colloquial

Phrases

closet case come out of the closet come out

Frequently Paired Words

closet closeted closet case come out of the closet come out pass

Synonyms

closeted

Antonyms

out of the closet out

Questions

How do you pronounce in the closet?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪn ðə ˈklɑzɪt/.
What does in the closet mean?: Not open about one's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.

How to pronounce in the closet

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