Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

occur

/əˈkɜː/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.47 in modern English

Syllables: oc-cur
IPA: /əˈkɜː/

9

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To happen or take place.

Intransitive verb

verb

To present or offer itself.

Intransitive verb

verb

To come or be presented to the mind; to suggest itself.

verb

To be present or found.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"The liftoff will occur in exactly twelve seconds."
"And no use for anyone to tell Charles that this was because the Family was in mourning for Mr Granville Darracott […]: Charles might only have been second footman at Darracott Place for a couple of months when that disaster occurred, but no one could gammon him into thinking that my lord cared a spangle for his heir."
"I will write if the opportunity occurs."
"One little incident of my school days occurs to me as amusing."
"It occurred to him to tell me of the problem."
"Apparently it never occurs to them that you can't make rapid, drastic changes in the technology and the economy of a society without causing rapid changes in all other aspects of the society as well, […]"

Etymology

Originally "meet (in argument)", borrowed from Middle French occurrer, from Latin occurrō (“run to meet, run against, befall, present itself”) from prefix ob- (“against”) + verb currō (“run, hurry, move”).

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: *ḱers-, occurrer, occurrō

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /əˈkɜː/
British English: /əˈkɜː/

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

occurs (present, singular) occurring (participle, present) occurred (participle, past) occurred (past) occurre (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

coöccur occurable occurrable reoccur

Phrases

co-occur what's occurring

Frequently Paired Words

occurrent occurrence

Synonyms

hit belimp betide betime come to pass happen take place appear arise come up

Rhymes With

were her per sir transfer prefer refer der inter fur entrepreneur stir

Questions

How do you pronounce occur?: The recorded pronunciation is /əˈkɜː/.
What does occur mean?: To happen or take place.
Where does occur come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce occur

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