Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

aquarium

/əˈkwɛɹ.i.jəm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.56 in modern English

Syllables
aquar-i-um
IPA
/əˈkwɛɹ.i.jəm/
19
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A tank, often made of glass, for keeping live fish or other aquatic animals.

noun

A public place where live fish and other aquatic animals are exhibited.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ Proto-Italic *akʷā Latin aqua Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -ārius Latin aquāriumbor. English aquarium Borrowed from Latin aquārium, neuter of aquārius (“of or pertaining to water”), from aqua + -arium. Doublet of ewer; see also Aquarius. Also claimed to be coined by English naturalist Philip Henry Gosse, as a blend of aquatic + vivarium.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /əˈkwɛɹ.i.jəm/

Inflected Forms

aquaria (plural) aquariums (plural)

Derived Forms

aquariumlike iMacQuarium Macquarium nonaquarium seaquarium submarium

Phrases

boy aquarium

Synonyms

fish tank marine museum

Rhymes With

merriam planetarium barium honorarium

Questions

How do you pronounce aquarium?
The recorded pronunciation is /əˈkwɛɹ.i.jəm/.
What does aquarium mean?
A tank, often made of glass, for keeping live fish or other aquatic animals.
Where does aquarium come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce aquarium

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