Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fearful

/ˈfɪɹfəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.58 in modern English

Syllables
fear-ful
IPA
/ˈfɪɹfəl/
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Tending to fear; timid.

adj

Terrible; shockingly bad.

Dated

adj

Frightened; filled with terror.

Archaic

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English ferful, fervol, equivalent to fear + -ful.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈfɪɹfəl/
  • British English: /ˈfɪəfəl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more fearful (comparative) most fearful (superlative) fearefull (alternative, obsolete) fearfull (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce fearful?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɪɹfəl/.
What does fearful mean?
Frightening; causing fear.
Where does fearful come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce fearful

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