Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

very like a whale

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.97 in modern English

Syllables: very -like a whale
IPA

30

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Highly improbable; not to be believed.

Humorous; Slang

Example Sentences

"'On your way to dine with Sir William Ayr, indeed! Very like a whale that, captain, but not quite so large, you understand!' the sergeant said jeeringly."

Etymology

From an exchange between Hamlet and Polonius (discussing the shape of a cloud) in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.

Usage

Questions

What does very like a whale mean?: Highly improbable; not to be believed.
Where does very like a whale come from?: From an exchange between Hamlet and Polonius (discussing the shape of a cloud) in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.

How to pronounce very like a whale

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “very like a whale”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “very like a whale” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.