Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

once bitten, twice shy

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.39 in modern English

Syllables
on-ce bit-ten, twice shy
IPA
33
Scrabble Score
18
Letters
3
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

One is cautious if one has been hurt in the past.

Inflected Forms

once burned, twice cautious (alternative) once burned, twice shy (alternative) once hurt, twice shy (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

gunshy

Synonyms

a burnt child dreads the fire the burnt child dreads the fire a beaten dog may cower before a friendly hand

Questions

What does once bitten, twice shy mean?
One is cautious if one has been hurt in the past.

How to pronounce once bitten, twice shy

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “once bitten, twice shy”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “once bitten, twice shy”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “once bitten, twice shy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.