Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

were-

/weə(ɹ)/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 6.34 in modern English

Syllables
were-
IPA
/weə(ɹ)/
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

Prefixed to animal names to indicate a human that shapeshifts into that animal.

Etymology

Back-formation from werewolf (“man-wolf”), from Old English werewulf, derived from wer (“man”) + wulf (“wolf”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /weə(ɹ)/

Frequently Paired Words

wer wergeld werewolf world lycanthropy shapeshifting shapeshifter zoanthropy

Questions

How do you pronounce were-?
The recorded pronunciation is /weə(ɹ)/.
What does were- mean?
Prefixed to animal names to indicate a human that shapeshifts into that animal.
Where does were- come from?
It is traced to Old English.

How to pronounce were-

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “were-”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/weə(ɹ)/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “were-”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “were-” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.