Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

never-do-well

/ˈnɛv.əɹ.duˌwɛl/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.58 in modern English

Syllables
nev-er-do-well
IPA
/ˈnɛv.əɹ.duˌwɛl/
18
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Alternative form of ne'er-do-well.

American usage

adj

Alternative form of ne'er-do-well.

American usage

Etymology

From never (adverb) + do (verb) + well (adverb). First attested in 1664.

Origin

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈnɛv.əɹ.duˌwɛl/
  • British English: /ˈnɛv.ə.duːˌwɛl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

never-do-wells (plural) more never-do-well (comparative) most never-do-well (superlative)

Questions

How do you pronounce never-do-well?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnɛv.əɹ.duˌwɛl/.
What does never-do-well mean?
Alternative form of ne'er-do-well.
Where does never-do-well come from?
First known use: First attested in 1664.

How to pronounce never-do-well

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “never-do-well”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnɛv.əɹ.duˌwɛl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “never-do-well”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “never-do-well” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.