Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

charcoal

/ˈt͡ʃɑɹ.koʊl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.58 in modern English

Syllables
char-coal
IPA
/ˈt͡ʃɑɹ.koʊl/
15
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

impure carbon obtained by destructive distillation of wood or other organic matter, that is, heating it in the absence of oxygen.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A stick of black carbon material used for drawing.

Countable

noun

A drawing made with charcoal.

Countable

noun

A very dark gray colour.

Uncountable

adj

Of a dark gray colour.

adj

Made of charcoal.

verb

To draw with charcoal.

verb

To cook over charcoal.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English charcole, from charren (“to change, turn”) + cole (“coal”), from Old English cierran (“to change, turn”) + col (“coal”). By surface analysis, char (Etymology 3 [verb]) + coal.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: charcole, cierran

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈt͡ʃɑɹ.koʊl/
  • British English: /ˈtʃɑː.kəʊl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce charcoal?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈt͡ʃɑɹ.koʊl/.
What does charcoal mean?
impure carbon obtained by destructive distillation of wood or other organic matter, that is, heating it in the absence of oxygen.
Where does charcoal come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce charcoal

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