Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hangnail

[heɪŋneɪ̯ɫ]

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.65 in modern English

Syllables
hang-nail
IPA
[heɪŋneɪ̯ɫ]
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A loose, narrow strip of nail tissue protruding from the side edge and anchored near the base of a fingernail or toenail.

noun

A pointed upper corner of the toenail (often created by improperly trimming by rounding the corner) that, as the nail grows, presses into the flesh or protrudes so that it may catch (“hang”) on stockings or shoes.

Etymology

A corruption of agnail (literally “painful (anguished) nail”), by folk-etymological reanalysis as hang + nail; from Middle English agnail, from Old English angnæġl, from ang- (“tight/painful”) + næġl (“nail”). The first part is from Proto-Germanic *anguz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énǵʰus (“narrow, tight”), while the second is from Proto-Germanic *naglaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃negʰ-. The first component, ang- is also the origin of anguish, anger, and angst, while næġl is the origin of nail. Compare more "pure" Scots angernail, and similarly folk-influenced dialectal variants wrangnail and ragnail, all meaning "hangnail" and from Middle English. Cognate with Old High German ungnagel and Old Frisian angneil, o(n)gneil. Original sense of “loose strip of tissue”; the sense of “pointed corner of nail” is modern, and is connected with the reanalysis, due to stockings catching or “hanging” on the nail.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: [heɪŋneɪ̯ɫ]

Inflected Forms

hangnails (plural)

Derived Forms

hangnailed

Frequently Paired Words

whitlow

Synonyms

agnail backfriend

Questions

How do you pronounce hangnail?
The recorded pronunciation is [heɪŋneɪ̯ɫ].
What does hangnail mean?
A loose, narrow strip of nail tissue protruding from the side edge and anchored near the base of a fingernail or toenail.
Where does hangnail come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce hangnail

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