Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

archipelago

/ˌɑɹkəˈpɛləˌɡoʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.33 in modern English

Syllables
ar-chi-pel-a-go
IPA
/ˌɑɹkəˈpɛləˌɡoʊ/
19
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Preceded by the, and often in the form Archipelago: the Aegean Sea.

Archaic

noun

A sea or other body of water with many islands.

noun

A group of many islands.

noun

A thing comprising many other scattered things.

noun

A thing comprising many other scattered things.

verb

To scatter or strew (a place, or something) with things that collectively resemble a group of many islands.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Italian arcipelago (“Aegean Sea; group of many islands”), from arci- (variant of archi- (prefix meaning ‘foremost, primary’)) + pelago (“(open) sea”): * Archi- is derived from Latin archi-, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ρχῐ- (ărkhĭ-, prefix denoting primary authority or importance), from ἄρχω (árkhō, “to begin; to lead, rule”) or ᾰ̓ρχός (ărkhós, “leader, ruler”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- (“to fit, put together”) or *h₂ergʰ- (“to begin; to command, rule”). * Pelago is from Latin pelagus (“sea”), from Ancient Greek πέλᾰγος (pélăgos, “sea”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”) or a non-Indo-European language. By surface analysis, archi- (prefix meaning ‘foremost, primary’) + -pelago (suffix meaning ‘sea’). Noun sense 2.1 (“sea with many islands”) is from the fact that the Aegean Sea has many islands, and noun sense 2.2 (“group of many islands”) represents a shift of meaning from the sea to the islands in such a sea. The verb is derived from the noun. cognates * Greek αρχιπέλαγος (archipélagos)

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₂er-, archi-, ᾰ̓ρχῐ-, pelagus, πέλᾰγος, *pleh₂-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌɑɹkəˈpɛləˌɡoʊ/
  • British English: /ˌɑːkɪˈpɛlɪɡəʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce archipelago?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌɑɹkəˈpɛləˌɡoʊ/.
What does archipelago mean?
Preceded by the, and often in the form Archipelago: the Aegean Sea.
Where does archipelago come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce archipelago

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