Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ledge

/lɛd͡ʒ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.41 in modern English

Syllables: ledge
IPA: /lɛd͡ʒ/

7

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A narrow surface projecting horizontally from a wall, cliff, or other surface.

noun

A shelf on which articles may be laid.

noun

A shelf, ridge, or reef, of rocks.

noun

A layer or stratum.

noun

A lode; a limited mass of rock bearing valuable mineral.

noun

A (door or window) lintel.

noun

noun

A piece of timber to support the deck, placed athwartship between beams.

Example Sentences

"Let me help you tie the rope around your neck / Let me help to talk you the wrong way off the ledge / Let me help you hold the Glock against your head"
"There's something inside this / Confusion we face / We marvel in silence / As time ticks away / Where's the ledge? / I can't touch it / But I feel it's so close"
"[...] preparation must not remove excess dentine from the canal, and care must be taken not to ledge the canal walls."
"Length Longer canals are more prone to ledging than shorter canals. Careful attention to maintaining patency is required to prevent ledging. Initial Size Smaller-diameter canals are more easily ledged than larger-diameter canals. In summary ..."
"http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/pete-jenson-adebayors-fresh-start-means-hard-work-short-hair-ndash-and-vital-goals-2263767.html, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/8605605/Andy-Murray-v-Feliciano-Lopez-at-Wimbledon-2011-as-it-happened.html, https://web.archive.org/web/20121109021139/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19083758"
"Catrin: Tell your dad I said he’s a ledge."

Etymology

From Middle English legge, from Old English leċġ (“bar, crossbeam”), from Proto-West Germanic *laggju (“layer, strip, ledge, rung, bar”), from Proto-Germanic *lagjō (“layer, stratum”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie, recline”). Cognate with West Frisian lêch (“a layer of sheaves on a threshing floor”), Dutch leg (“layer”), German Low German Legg (“wrinkle, fold, flat layer, stratum”), Middle High German legge, lecke (“position, layer, stratum, tier; pleat, hem”). Related to Middle English leggen (“to lay, apply”), from Old English leċġan (“to lay”); and Old English *ġeleċġ (“positioning, arrangement, layout”) as in Old English limġeleċġ (“the disposition of the limbs, form, shape”). More at lay.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: legge, leċġ, *laggju, *lagjō, *legʰ-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /lɛd͡ʒ/
British English: /lɛd͡ʒ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

ledges (plural) ledges (present, singular) ledging (participle, present) ledged (participle, past) ledged (past)

Derived Forms

foreledge ledgeless ledgment ledgy portaledge underledge

Phrases

Grand Ledge

Synonyms

shelf

Homonyms

lege

Rhymes With

edge pledge hedge wedge allege sledge dredge sedge eldredge fledge alldredge reg

Questions

How do you pronounce ledge?: The recorded pronunciation is /lɛd͡ʒ/.
What does ledge mean?: A narrow surface projecting horizontally from a wall, cliff, or other surface.
Where does ledge come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce ledge

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