Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

misère

/mɪˈzɛə(ɹ)/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: mis-ere
IPA: /mɪˈzɛə(ɹ)/

7

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A bid to lose every trick, or the majority of tricks, with no trumps.

Uncountable

adj

Played according to the reverse of the usual winning convention.

adj

Of a game, in which a player who is unable to move wins.

Example Sentences

"The exasperating frequency of hands where one card alone, such as a king or ace, supported by a deuce only, or king or ace bare, debars the holder from calling misère is an experience common to every player."
"A strategy in misère backgammon is to put six blots in a row."

Etymology

Borrowed from French misère. Doublet of misery and mizeria.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: misère

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

misères (plural) misere (alternative)

Phrases

lay-down misère misère ouvert

Frequently Paired Words

miser

Rhymes With

to a hair a day after the fair zero air grand le pierre 'clare district of clare -ware khmer- sentiment du fer pied-à-terre cornwallis square père

Questions

How do you pronounce misère?: The recorded pronunciation is /mɪˈzɛə(ɹ)/.
What does misère mean?: A bid to lose every trick, or the majority of tricks, with no trumps.
Where does misère come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce misère

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