Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

plain-sailing

/ˌpleɪn ˈseɪlɪŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.86 in modern English

Syllables: plain-sail-ing
IPA: /ˌpleɪn ˈseɪlɪŋ/

15

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Easy, simple, straightforward.

Example Sentences

"[…] I took an uncommon fancy to him. He's a straightforward, plain-sailing fellow. I shall be very glad to see him again."
"[W]hat was the mainspring of her mind—round what axis did it revolve—that was what puzzled him. Clearly enough it was not like most women's, least of all like that of happy, healthy, plain-sailing Bessie."
"But the plain-sailing tradesman who must be taken as the typical manager (for the west end of London is not the whole theatrical world) is by no means equally qualified to judge whether a play is safe from prosecution or not."

Etymology

From plain (adjective) + sailing. Sense 2 of plain sailing (“something that is easy, simple, or straightforward”, noun) is attested slightly later than the adjective, and so could have been derived from it.

Word Breakdown

Root: *pleh₂-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌpleɪn ˈseɪlɪŋ/
British English: /ˌpleɪn ˈseɪlɪŋ/

Phrases

plain sailing

Synonyms

as a duck takes to water basic easy prosaic no-fuss easy as 123 easy as ABC easy as cake easy as pie easy as falling off a log easy as rolling off a log easy as toffee

Homonyms

plane sailing

Questions

How do you pronounce plain-sailing?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌpleɪn ˈseɪlɪŋ/.
What does plain-sailing mean?: Easy, simple, straightforward.
Where does plain-sailing come from?: From plain (adjective) + sailing. Sense 2 of plain sailing (“something that is easy, simple, or straightforward”, noun) is attested slightly later than the adjective, and so could have been derived from it.

How to pronounce plain-sailing

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “plain-sailing”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌpleɪn ˈseɪlɪŋ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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