Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

play small

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.26 in modern English

Syllables
play s-mall
IPA
16
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To play for low stakes; to aim low; to be unwilling to take risks; to be fearful.

Example Sentences

Inflected Forms

plays small (present, singular) playing small (participle, present) played small (participle, past) played small (past)

Phrases

think small

Frequently Paired Words

think small

Synonyms

play it safe

Antonyms

play big

Questions

What does play small mean?
To play for low stakes; to aim low; to be unwilling to take risks; to be fearful.

How to pronounce play small

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