Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

basketball

/ˈbæs.kɪt.bɔl/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.56 in modern English

Syllables: bas-ket-ball
IPA: /ˈbæs.kɪt.bɔl/

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A sport in which two opposing teams of five players strive to put a ball through a hoop.

Uncountable

noun

The particular kind of ball used in the sport of basketball.

Countable

verb

To play basketball.

Informal; Intransitive verb

verb

To throw in a similar way to when shooting a basketball.

Informal; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"to play basketball"
"He pursued basketball as his career."
"Children playing basketball at their home in front of the John Amos coal-fired power plant in Poca, W.Va. President Biden’s infrastructure plan includes climate change measures that aim to close coal-fired plants."
"by high school he was basketballing with the best of an all-Negro league"
"He took a sip from a paper coffee-cup , crumpled it up and basketballed it into a small rubbish bin about five feet from him."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *baskis Proto-Brythonicder. Late Latin bascauda Anglo-Norman bascatbor. Middle English basket English basket Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-der. Proto-Germanic *balluz Old English *beall Middle English bal English ball English basketball From basket + ball.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbæs.kɪt.bɔl/
British English: /ˈbɑːs.kɪt.bɔːl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

basketballs (plural) basketballs (present, singular) basketballing (participle, present) basketballed (participle, past) basketballed (past)

Derived Forms

antibasketball basketballdom basketballer basketballese basketbrawl nonbasketball

Phrases

3x3 basketball basketball American basketball court basketball player basketball shoes basketball shorts street basketball wheelchair basketball

Synonyms

hoops b-ball basketball game

Questions

How do you pronounce basketball?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbæs.kɪt.bɔl/.
What does basketball mean?: A sport in which two opposing teams of five players strive to put a ball through a hoop.
Where does basketball come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *baskis Proto-Brythonicder. Late Latin bascauda Anglo-Norman bascatbor. Middle English basket English basket Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-der. Proto-Germanic *balluz Old English *beall Middle English bal English ball English basketball From basket + ball.

How to pronounce basketball

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