Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

donovan

/ˈdɒnəvɪn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.59 in modern English

Syllables: dono-van
IPA: /ˈdɒnəvɪn/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A surname from Irish.

name

A male given name transferred from the surname.

name

The Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan.

name

An unincorporated community in Johnson County, Georgia, United States.

name

A village in Beaver Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States.

noun

Archaic; Slang

Example Sentences

"Brian Friedberg and Joan Donovan, researchers at Harvard's Shorenstein Center, documented how the campaign to inject IOTBW into the national consciousness through fliers was highly organized."

Etymology

From Irish Ó Donndubháin (“descendant of (a person named) brown & black”), from donn (“brown”) and dubh (“black”).

Origin

Source language: Irish

Word Breakdown

Root: Ó Donndubháin

Usage

Inflected Forms

Donavan (alternative) Donovans (plural)

Derived Forms

donovani

Phrases

Donovan body

Synonyms

murphy

Rhymes With

o'donovan

Questions

How do you pronounce donovan?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɒnəvɪn/.
What does donovan mean?: A surname from Irish.
Where does donovan come from?: It is traced to Irish.

How to pronounce donovan

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