Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mockingbird

/ˈmɑkɪŋˌbɝd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.98 in modern English

Syllables
mock-ing-bird
IPA
/ˈmɑkɪŋˌbɝd/
23
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of various long-tailed American songbirds of the genera Mimus and Melanotis, noted for their ability to mimic calls of other birds.

noun

Synonym of tui (“a species of honeyeater, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, a bird which is endemic to New Zealand”).

Archaic

Etymology

From mocking + bird, from the ability of the birds to mimic sounds and, in some cases, hum as a wake-up call.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɑkɪŋˌbɝd/
  • British English: /ˈmɒkɪŋbɜːd/

Usage

Inflected Forms

mockingbirds (plural)

Phrases

Bahama mockingbird blue-and-white mockingbird blue mockingbird brown-backed mockingbird chalk-browed mockingbird Charles mockingbird Mimus trifasciatus) Chatham mockingbird Chilean mockingbird

Synonyms

mocker tui mimus polyglottos

Questions

How do you pronounce mockingbird?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɑkɪŋˌbɝd/.
What does mockingbird mean?
Any of various long-tailed American songbirds of the genera Mimus and Melanotis, noted for their ability to mimic calls of other birds.
Where does mockingbird come from?
From mocking + bird, from the ability of the birds to mimic sounds and, in some cases, hum as a wake-up call.

How to pronounce mockingbird

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