Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

octagon

/ˈɑktəˌɡɑn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.91 in modern English

Syllables
oc-ta-gon
IPA
/ˈɑktəˌɡɑn/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A polygon with eight sides and eight angles.

noun

An arena for mixed martial arts.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Latin octagōnon, octōgōnon (“octagon”), and from its etymon Ancient Greek ὀκτάγωνον (oktágōnon, “octagon”), probably from Koine Greek ὀκτάγωνος (oktágōnos, “having eight corners”) + -ον (-on, suffix forming nouns). ὀκτάγωνος is derived from ὀκτᾰ- (oktă-, prefix meaning ‘eight’) (from ὀκτώ (oktṓ, “eight”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw (“eight”)) + γωνία (gōnía, “angle; corner”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu (“knee”)); analysable as octa- + -gon. The English word is cognate with Middle French octogone (modern French octogone), Italian octagono (obsolete), ottagono, Spanish octágono, octógono. Sense 2 (“arena for mixed martial arts”) refers to its shape.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɑktəˌɡɑn/
  • British English: /ˈɒktəɡ(ə)n/

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce octagon?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɑktəˌɡɑn/.
What does octagon mean?
A polygon with eight sides and eight angles.
Where does octagon come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce octagon

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