Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

placebo

/pləˈsi.boʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.48 in modern English

Syllables: place-bo
IPA: /pləˈsi.boʊ/

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment.

noun

The vespers sung in the office for the dead.

Example Sentences

"The acid test, I thought, was whether homeopathic remedies behave differently from placebos when submitted to clinical trials."
"The trials overall showed some but limited effectiveness, and in one of the largest and longest trials, the placebo performed better in treating spasticity, pain and bladder dysfunction, Dr. Bowling wrote."
"There the placebo, the office for the dead, was sung, and a vigil kept throughout the night."

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English placebo, borrowed from Latin placēbō (“I will please”), the first-person singular future active indicative of placeō (“to please”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: placebo

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /pləˈsi.boʊ/
British English: /pləˈsiː.bəʊ/

Inflected Forms

placebos (plural) placeboes (plural)

Derived Forms

antiplacebo nonplacebo placebic placebogenic placebolike placebology placebome

Phrases

placebo button placebo-controlled placebo effect

Frequently Paired Words

drug nocebo

Rhymes With

gazebo debo thibeault igbo nocebo

Questions

How do you pronounce placebo?: The recorded pronunciation is /pləˈsi.boʊ/.
What does placebo mean?: A dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment.
Where does placebo come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce placebo

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