Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

colander

/ˈkɑləndɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.37 in modern English

Syllables: colan-der
IPA: /ˈkɑləndɚ/

11

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A bowl-shaped kitchen utensil with holes in it used for draining food that has been cooking in water, such as pasta.

Example Sentences

"An electric fire came next, followed by an umbrella and then a colander. "This bowl will carry no water," he muttered. "Some loon hath pierced it with holes.""

Etymology

From Middle English colyndore, coloundour, colonur, variants of Middle English culdor, culdore, culatre, ultimately from Latin cōlātōrium, from Latin cōlum. Cognates include Italian colino and Spanish colador.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: colyndore, cōlātōrium, cōlum

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɑləndɚ/
British English: /ˈkɒləndə(ɹ)/

Inflected Forms

colanders (plural) cullender (alternative) collinder (alternative)

Phrases

sea colander

Frequently Paired Words

coulee percolate

Synonyms

cullender

Rhymes With

hollander olander bolander kolander

Questions

How do you pronounce colander?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɑləndɚ/.
What does colander mean?: A bowl-shaped kitchen utensil with holes in it used for draining food that has been cooking in water, such as pasta.
Where does colander come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce colander

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