Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cavern

/ˈkæv.ɚn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.08 in modern English

Syllables: cav-ern
IPA: /ˈkæv.ɚn/

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

noun

An underground chamber.

noun

A large, dark place or space.

verb

To form a cavern or deep depression in.

Transitive verb

verb

To put into a cavern.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree: / Where Alph, the sacred river, ran / Through caverns measureless to man / Down to a sunless sea."
"a dark cavern of a shop"
"catacombs caverning the hillsides"

Etymology

From Middle English caverne, borrowing from Old French caverne, from Latin caverna (“hollow, cavity, cave”), from cavus (“hollow, excavated, concave”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *ḱewh₁-, caverne, caverna

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkæv.ɚn/
British English: /ˈkav.ən/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

caverns (plural) caverns (present, singular) caverning (participle, present) caverned (participle, past) caverned (past)

Derived Forms

cavernful cavernicolous cavernitis cavernlike cavernoma cavernous incaverned mesocavern

Synonyms

hollow cave cavern out

Rhymes With

tavern davern klavern

Questions

How do you pronounce cavern?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkæv.ɚn/.
What does cavern mean?: A large cave.
Where does cavern come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce cavern

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