Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

headache

/ˈhɛdeɪk/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.97 in modern English

Syllables: headache
IPA: /ˈhɛdeɪk/

17

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A pain or ache in the head.

noun

A nuisance or unpleasant problem.

Example Sentences

"I have a splitting headache after that party last night."
"I advise you to take some painkillers for the headache, it's probably nothing serious."
"The beauty and brilliancy of this insect are indescribable, and none but a naturalist can understand the intense excitement I experienced when I at length captured it. On taking it out of my net and opening the glorious wings, my heart began to beat violently, the blood rushed to my head, and I felt much more like fainting than I have done when in apprehension of immediate death. I had a headache the rest of the day, so great was the excitement produced by what will appear to most people a very inadequate cause."
"Sometimes on television they tell you a product is "good for headaches." I don't want something that's good for headaches. I want something that's bad for headaches. And good for me."
"CNN spoke recently with several Conyers residents who said they still have blurry vision, shortness of breath, throat irritation or chronic headaches since the chemical plant fire."
"The clumsy filing system has been a huge headache."

Etymology

From Middle English hevedeche, from Old English hēafodeċe. By surface analysis, head + ache.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: hevedeche, hēafodeċe

Inflected Forms

headaches (plural) headach (alternative, obsolete) head-ache (alternative, archaic)

Derived Forms

antiheadache headaching headachy preheadache

Phrases

alarm clock headache cluster headache headache tree headache vine hypnic headache ice cream headache icecream headache ice-pick headache

Synonyms

cephalalgia bother pain in the neck concern worry vexation head ache

Questions

How do you pronounce headache?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɛdeɪk/.
What does headache mean?: A pain or ache in the head.
Where does headache come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce headache

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