Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.26 in modern English

Syllables
red sky at night, -sailors' de-light; red sky at -morn-ing, -sailors -take warn-ing
IPA
96
Scrabble Score
60
Letters
8
Syllables
16
Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

A red sky at dusk usually indicates a high atmospheric pressure system from the west, denoting stable weather, whereas a red sky at dawn usually indicates a low atmospheric pressure system from the west, denoting unstable weather.

Etymology

A maritime phrase used for at least two millennia, likely as a shortening of Matthew 16:2b–3: "When it is evening, you say, "It will be fair weather; for the sky is red." And in the morning, "It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening." You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."

Inflected Forms

red sky at night (canonical) sailors' delight; red sky at morning (canonical) sailors take warning (canonical) red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning (alternative) red sky at night, shepherds' delight; red sky at morning, shepherds' warning (alternative) red sky at night, shepherds' delight; red sky in the morning, shepherds' warning (alternative) pink sky at night, sailors' delight; pink sky at morning, sailors take warning (alternative) pink sky at night, sailors' delight; pink sky in the morning, sailors take warning (alternative) red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky at morn, sailors forlorn (alternative) red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky in the morn, sailors forlorn (alternative)

Questions

What does red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning mean?
A red sky at dusk usually indicates a high atmospheric pressure system from the west, denoting stable weather, whereas a red sky at dawn usually indicates a low atmospheric pressure system from the west, denoting unstable weather.
Where does red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning come from?
A maritime phrase used for at least two millennia, likely as a shortening of Matthew 16:2b–3: "When it is evening, you say, "It will be fair weather; for the sky is red." And in the morning, "It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening." You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."

How to pronounce red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning”.
  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 “red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.