Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whoa, nelly

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.08 in modern English

Syllables
whoa, nel-ly
IPA
18
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

an exclamation of surprise, especially one in response to an unexpected acceleration of speed

Example Sentences

Etymology

From whoa! (a command to slow or stop) + Nelly (a common name for a mule or horse). A popular catch-phrase, together with "Whoa, Nellybelle" on the Roy Rogers TV show (1951–1957).

Questions

What does whoa, nelly mean?
an exclamation of surprise, especially one in response to an unexpected acceleration of speed
Where does whoa, nelly come from?
From whoa! (a command to slow or stop) + Nelly (a common name for a mule or horse). A popular catch-phrase, together with "Whoa, Nellybelle" on the Roy Rogers TV show (1951–1957).

How to pronounce whoa, nelly

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “whoa, nelly”.
  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 “whoa, nelly”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “whoa, nelly” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.