Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lieutenant

/lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.44 in modern English

Syllables
lieu-tenant
IPA
/lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/
10
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.

American usage

noun

The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.

American usage

noun

The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.

American usage

noun

The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.

British usage

noun

The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.

British usage

noun

The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.

Australian usage; Canadian usage; New Zealand usage

noun

A person who manages or executes the plans and directives of another, more senior person; a manager to their director.

noun

The second-in-command (2IC) of a group.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English lieutenant, lieftenaunt, from Anglo-Norman lieutenant, lyutenaunt, leu tenant, leu tenaunt (“deputy, lieutenant”), from Old French lieu (“place”) + tenant (“holder”). Doublet of locum tenens and stadtholder.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/
  • British English: /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Military.

Inflected Forms

lieutenants (plural) leftenant (alternative, obsolete) leftenaunt (alternative, obsolete) lieftenant (alternative, obsolete) lieftenaunt (alternative, obsolete) lieutenaunt (alternative, obsolete) lieuftenant (alternative, obsolete) lievftenant (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

lieutenantess lieutenantry lieutenantship sublieutenant underlieutenant

Phrases

brevet lieutenant captain-lieutenant captain lieutenant corvette lieutenant desk lieutenant fifth lieutenant first lieutenant flag lieutenant

Frequently Paired Words

subaltern

Synonyms

Lt. LT lieut Lieut. deputy police lieutenant

Homonyms

leftenant

Rhymes With

tenant tennant pennant tennent

Questions

How do you pronounce lieutenant?
The recorded pronunciation is /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/.
What does lieutenant mean?
The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
Where does lieutenant come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce lieutenant

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