Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hurricane

/ˈhʌɹɪkeɪn/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.10 in modern English

Syllables
hur-ri-cane
IPA
/ˈhʌɹɪkeɪn/
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be violent, with winds of 119 km/h (74 miles per hour) or greater, usually accompanied by rain, lightning, and thunder.

verb

To swirl quickly and violently.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Taíno *hurakābor. Spanish huracánbor. English hurricane Borrowed from Spanish huracán, ultimately from Taíno *hurakā.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: huracán, *hurakā

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhʌɹɪkeɪn/
  • British English: /ˈhʌɹɪkən/

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce hurricane?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhʌɹɪkeɪn/.
What does hurricane mean?
A severe tropical cyclone; an intense storm rotating around a central eye.
Where does hurricane come from?
It is traced to Spanish.

How to pronounce hurricane

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