Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

catalpa

/kəˈtælpə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.88 in modern English

Syllables
catal-pa
IPA
/kəˈtælpə/
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any tree of the genus Catalpa, in the family Bignoniaceae. The two North American species, the southern catalpa, Catalpa bignonioides, and the northern catalpa, Catalpa speciosa — along with the yellow catalpa, Catalpa ovata, from China — are often planted as ornamentals because of their showy flowers and decorative bean pods, though others regard the bean pods as a nuisance.

Etymology

* A variant of catawba that originated when Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, the describing botanist, incorrectly transcribed the name. * Sometimes alternatively said to derive from Creek kvtvrpv.

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /kəˈtælpə/
  • British English: /kəˈtælpə/

Inflected Forms

catalpas (plural)

Derived Forms

catalpic

Phrases

Chinese catalpa Haitian catalpa hardy catalpa Manchurian catalpa northern catalpa southern catalpa umbrella catalpa western catalpa

Synonyms

indian bean

Rhymes With

tegucigalpa kalpa talpa matagalpa pucallpa salpa

Questions

How do you pronounce catalpa?
The recorded pronunciation is /kəˈtælpə/.
What does catalpa mean?
Any tree of the genus Catalpa, in the family Bignoniaceae. The two North American species, the southern catalpa, Catalpa bignonioides, and the northern catalpa, Catalpa speciosa — along with the yellow catalpa, Catalpa ovata, from China — are often planted as ornamentals because of their showy flowers and decorative bean pods, though others regard the bean pods as a nuisance.
Where does catalpa come from?
* A variant of catawba that originated when Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, the describing botanist, incorrectly transcribed the name. * Sometimes alternatively said to derive from Creek kvtvrpv.

How to pronounce catalpa

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