Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fingernail

/ˈfɪŋɡɚˌneɪl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.73 in modern English

Syllables
fin-ger-nail
IPA
/ˈfɪŋɡɚˌneɪl/
14
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The hard, flat translucent covering near the tip of a human finger, useful for scratching and fine manipulation.

Etymology

From Middle English finger neil(e); equivalent to finger + nail. Compare Middle English nayl of fynger (“fingernail”) and Old English handnæġl (“fingernail”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Fingernail (“fingernail”), West Frisian fingerneil (“fingernail”), Dutch vingernagel (“fingernail”), German Fingernagel (“fingernail”), Danish fingernegl (“fingernail”), Swedish fingernagel (“fingernail”), Norwegian fingernegl (“fingernail”), Icelandic fingurnögl (“fingernail”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈfɪŋɡɚˌneɪl/

Inflected Forms

fingernails (plural) finger nail (alternative) finger-nail (alternative)

Derived Forms

fingernailed fingernailful fingernaillike fingernaily

Phrases

fingernail clam fingernail moon little fingernail ring fingernail nail polish nail varnish

Frequently Paired Words

nail nail polish nail varnish thumbnail toenail

Synonyms

handnail

Questions

How do you pronounce fingernail?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɪŋɡɚˌneɪl/.
What does fingernail mean?
The hard, flat translucent covering near the tip of a human finger, useful for scratching and fine manipulation.
Where does fingernail come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce fingernail

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