Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lateral

/ˈlætəɹəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.75 in modern English

Syllables
lat-er-al
IPA
/ˈlætəɹəl/
7
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

To the side; of or pertaining to the side.

adj

To the side; of or pertaining to the side.

adj

To the side; of or pertaining to the side.

adj

To the side; of or pertaining to the side.

adj

Non-linear or unconventional, as in, lateral thinking; outside the box.

British usage

adj

(of a consonant, especially the English clear l) Pertaining to speech sounds generated by partially blocking the egress of the airstream with the tongue, leaving space on one or both sides of the occlusion for air passage.

noun

An object, such as a passage or a protrusion, that is situated on the side of something else.

noun

A sound produced through lateral pronunciation (such as /l/ in lateral).

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin laterālis (“belonging to the side”), from latus (“the side or flank”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈlætəɹəl/
  • British English: /ˈlæt(ə)ɹəl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more lateral (comparative) most lateral (superlative) laterals (plural) laterals (present, singular) lateraling (US, participle) lateralling (UK, participle) lateraled (US, participle) lateraled (US, past) lateralled (UK, participle) lateralled (UK, past)

Derived Forms

acousticolateral ambilateral anterodorsolateral anterolateral apicolateral axiolateral basolateral basilateral bilateral caudolateral centrolateral collateral

Phrases

lateral aberration lateral area lateral canthus lateral cricoarytenoid muscle lateral cuneiform bone lateral flow test lateral fricative lateral gene transfer

Frequently Paired Words

vastus lateralis approximant fricative nasal trill plosive

Synonyms

sidelong lateral pass

Antonyms

medial longitudinal vertical

Rhymes With

bilateral collateral unilateral multilateral trilateral plurilateral right lateral left lateral quadrilateral equilateral contralateral ipsilateral

Questions

How do you pronounce lateral?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlætəɹəl/.
What does lateral mean?
To the side; of or pertaining to the side.
Where does lateral come from?
Borrowed from Latin laterālis (“belonging to the side”), from latus (“the side or flank”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

How to pronounce lateral

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