Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lottery

/ˈlɑtɚi/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.00 in modern English

Syllables: lot-te-ry
IPA: /ˈlɑtɚi/

10

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, the other tickets are blanks.

noun

Something decided by chance.

noun

Allotment; a thing allotted.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Dave plays the lottery almost every week, but always picks different numbers."
"It's a bit of a lottery whether we'll get a good table in that diner."

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian lotteria, from the same root as Old English hlot (cognate with English lot). Compare French loterie (from Middle Dutch loterie). By surface analysis, lot + -ery.

Origin

Source language: Italian

Word Breakdown

Root: lotteria

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈlɑtɚi/
British English: /ˈlɒtəɹi/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

lotteries (plural)

Derived Forms

antilottery lotologist lotterylike nonlottery

Phrases

draft lottery e-lottery genetic lottery ghetto lottery ladder lottery lottery ticket lottery wheel lottery wheeling

Synonyms

drawing

Rhymes With

pottery

Questions

How do you pronounce lottery?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlɑtɚi/.
What does lottery mean?: A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, the other tickets are blanks.
Where does lottery come from?: It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce lottery

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