Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

idli

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.80 in modern English

Syllables: idli
IPA

5

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A South Asian cake made from a mixture of ground rice and lentils fermented and steamed in a mold.

Example Sentences

"“My aunty will probably send you a million idlis, too, once I tell her you ate all of mine.”"

Etymology

From Tamil இட்லி (iṭli), Kannada ಇಡ್ಲಿ (iḍli).

Word Breakdown

Root: இட்லி, ಇಡ್ಲಿ

Inflected Forms

idlis (plural)

Phrases

idli podi

Frequently Paired Words

idli podi

Questions

What does idli mean?: A South Asian cake made from a mixture of ground rice and lentils fermented and steamed in a mold.
Where does idli come from?: From Tamil இட்லி (iṭli), Kannada ಇಡ್ಲಿ (iḍli).

How to pronounce idli

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