Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

under the radar

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.19 in modern English

Syllables: un-der- the radar
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Without attracting notice; in an undetected or secretive manner.

Example Sentences

"Institutional change has not happened. But it's done quietly under the radar at lots of places."
"Look, we keep our hand in with Maitland as well as this Partick thing. But we do it under the radar."

Etymology

An allusion to flying an airplane at an altitude too low for radar detection.

Phrases

fly under the radar slip under the radar

Questions

What does under the radar mean?: Without attracting notice; in an undetected or secretive manner.
Where does under the radar come from?: An allusion to flying an airplane at an altitude too low for radar detection.

How to pronounce under the radar

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “under the radar”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “under the radar”.
Repeat and practice — Say “under the radar” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.