Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

muggins

/ˈmʌ.ɡɪnz/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.61 in modern English

Syllables
mug-gins
IPA
/ˈmʌ.ɡɪnz/
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A fool or idiot (especially as an ironic way of referring to oneself).

British usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

The act of stealing another player's points because they either mispegged or counted up incorrectly.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A game of dominoes in which the object is to make the sum of the two ends of the line some multiple of five.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Origin unknown. Sense 'fool' originally British slang of 1770s, probably an extension of earlier mug (“fool”). Game senses perhaps from surname Muggins.

Usage

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

mugginsed Buggins's turn cutthroat cutthroat cribbage

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce muggins?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmʌ.ɡɪnz/.
What does muggins mean?
A fool or idiot (especially as an ironic way of referring to oneself).
Where does muggins come from?
Origin unknown. Sense 'fool' originally British slang of 1770s, probably an extension of earlier mug (“fool”). Game senses perhaps from surname Muggins.

How to pronounce muggins

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