Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

the early bird gets the worm

/ði ˈɜ(ɹ)li ˈbɜ(ɹ)d ɡɛts ðə wɜ(ɹ)m/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.69 in modern English

Syllables: the ear-ly bird get-s the -worm
IPA: /ði ˈɜ(ɹ)li ˈbɜ(ɹ)d ɡɛts ðə wɜ(ɹ)m/

41

Scrabble Score

23

Letters

4

Syllables

15

Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

Whoever arrives first has the best chance of success; some opportunities are available only to the first competitors.

Inflected Forms

the early bird catches the worm (alternative)

Phrases

early to bed, early to rise first come, first served

Frequently Paired Words

early to bed, early to rise first come, first served

Questions

How do you pronounce the early bird gets the worm?: The recorded pronunciation is /ði ˈɜ(ɹ)li ˈbɜ(ɹ)d ɡɛts ðə wɜ(ɹ)m/.
What does the early bird gets the worm mean?: Whoever arrives first has the best chance of success; some opportunities are available only to the first competitors.

How to pronounce the early bird gets the worm

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “the early bird gets the worm”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ði ˈɜ(ɹ)li ˈbɜ(ɹ)d ɡɛts ðə wɜ(ɹ)m/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “the early bird gets the worm” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.