Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

jalopy

/d͡ʒəˈlɒ.pi/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.89 in modern English

Syllables: jalopy
IPA: /d͡ʒəˈlɒ.pi/

18

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An old, dilapidated or unpretentious automobile.

American usage

Example Sentences

"Dean is the perfect guy for the road because he was actually born on the road, when his parents were passing through Salt Lake City in 1926, in a jalopy, on their way to Los Angeles."
""We ran into some real excitement," Frank said, and told his father the whole story of Chet's missing jalopy, the wrecked car which they suspected had been a stolen one also, and the attempted holdup at the ferryboat office."
"There's only a rough track and I doubt if that jalopy of yours will make it."
"Through most of those early years of restless travel, he dragged his two children and his long-suffering wife, Maryann[…] behind him like tin cans tied to the bumper of a jalopy that no car dealer in his right mind would take in trade."

Etymology

Unknown. Perhaps from Jalapa, Mexico (now Xalapa), to whose scrapyards used cars were often sent from New Orleans starting in the 1920s. First recorded written use in 1924.

Usage

American usage

Inflected Forms

jalopies (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

jalapeño

Synonyms

banger beater bucket of bolts bucket of rust clunker crate crock flivver gas guzzler hooptie jalopy junker

Rhymes With

copy poppy sloppy floppy choppy soppy gloppy

Questions

How do you pronounce jalopy?: The recorded pronunciation is /d͡ʒəˈlɒ.pi/.
What does jalopy mean?: An old, dilapidated or unpretentious automobile.
Where does jalopy come from?: Unknown. Perhaps from Jalapa, Mexico (now Xalapa), to whose scrapyards used cars were often sent from New Orleans starting in the 1920s. First recorded written use in 1924.

How to pronounce jalopy

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