Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

powerful

/ˈpaʊɚfl̩/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.85 in modern English

Syllables
pow-er-ful
IPA
/ˈpaʊɚfl̩/
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Large; capacious; said of veins of ore.

adj

Being a powerful number.

adv

very; extremely

Archaic

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English pouerful, powarfull. By surface analysis, power + -ful.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈpaʊɚfl̩/
  • British English: /ˈpaʊəfl̩/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more powerful (comparative) most powerful (superlative) powreful (alternative, obsolete) powrefull (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce powerful?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpaʊɚfl̩/.
What does powerful mean?
Having, or capable of exerting, power or influence.
Where does powerful come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce powerful

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