Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pac-man effect

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.89 in modern English

Syllables
pac--man -ef-fect
IPA
26
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
5
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

The flat-earth belief that someone attempting to go over the edge of the flat Earth would teleport to the other side.

Informal

Etymology

In reference to the arcade game Pac-Man (1980), where the player character can warp through a tunnel from one side of the screen to the other.

Usage

Inflected Forms

the Pac-Man effect (canonical)

Questions

What does pac-man effect mean?
The flat-earth belief that someone attempting to go over the edge of the flat Earth would teleport to the other side.
Where does pac-man effect come from?
In reference to the arcade game Pac-Man (1980), where the player character can warp through a tunnel from one side of the screen to the other.

How to pronounce pac-man effect

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pac-man effect”.
  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 “pac-man effect”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “pac-man effect” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.