Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bookworm

/ˈbʊk.wɜːm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.58 in modern English

Syllables
book-worm
IPA
/ˈbʊk.wɜːm/
19
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of various insects that infest books.

noun

An avid book reader.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From book + worm. Compare West Frisian boekewjirm (“bookworm”), Dutch boekworm, boekwurm, boekenwurm (“bookworm”), Low German Bökerworm (“bookworm”), German Bücherwurm (“bookworm”), Danish bogorm (“bookworm”), Norwegian bokorm (“bookworm”), Faroese bókaormur (“bookworm”), Icelandic bókaormur (“bookworm”).

Inflected Forms

bookworms (plural) book worm (alternative)

Derived Forms

bookwormish bookwormism bookwormy

Phrases

have one's nose in a book

Frequently Paired Words

have one's nose in a book

Synonyms

bibliophage bibliophile bibliovore book lover librophile librovore pedant scholastic

Questions

How do you pronounce bookworm?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbʊk.wɜːm/.
What does bookworm mean?
Any of various insects that infest books.
Where does bookworm come from?
From book + worm. Compare West Frisian boekewjirm (“bookworm”), Dutch boekworm, boekwurm, boekenwurm (“bookworm”), Low German Bökerworm (“bookworm”), German Bücherwurm (“bookworm”), Danish bogorm (“bookworm”), Norwegian bokorm (“bookworm”), Faroese bókaormur (“bookworm”), Icelandic bókaormur (“bookworm”).

How to pronounce bookworm

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