Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

list

/lɪst/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.28 in modern English

Syllables
list
IPA
/lɪst/
4
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A strip of fabric, especially from the edge of a piece of cloth.

noun

The scene of a military contest; the ground or field of combat; an enclosed space that serves as a battlefield; the site of a pitched battle.

noun

A narrow strip of wood, especially sapwood, cut from the edge of a board or plank.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English lī̆st, lī̆ste (“band, stripe; hem, selvage; border, edge, rim; list, specification; barriers enclosing area for jousting, etc.”), from Old English līste (“hem, edge, strip”), or Old French liste, listre (“border; band; strip of paper; list”), or Medieval Latin lista, all from Proto-West Germanic *līstā, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“to trace, track”). Cognates * Saterland Frisian Lieste (“margin, strip, list”) * Dutch lijst (“picture frame, list”) * German Low German Liest (“edging, border”) * German Leiste (“strip, rail, ledge; (heraldry) bar”) * Swedish lista (“list”) * Icelandic lista listi (“list”) * Italian lista (“list; strip”) * Portuguese lista (“list”) * Spanish lista (“list, roll; stripe”) * Galician lista (“band, strip; list”) * Finnish lista (“(informal) list; batten”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: list, līste, liste, lista, *līstā, *leys-

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce list?
The recorded pronunciation is /lɪst/.
What does list mean?
A strip of fabric, especially from the edge of a piece of cloth.
Where does list come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce list

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