Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

prehistoric

/ˌpɹiː.hɪsˈtoɹ.ɪk/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.42 in modern English

Syllables: pre-his-toric
IPA: /ˌpɹiː.hɪsˈtoɹ.ɪk/

18

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or relating to the epoch before written record.

adj

Ancient; very old, outdated, etc.

Example Sentences

"Was it then in a pre-historic time that the Romans wandered into these lands?"
"The cartoon image of prehistoric woman being dragged by the hair by her caveman-husband probably conditions the perceptions of archaeologists far more than they realize."
"Your idea of a woman is some one who gets on a chair and shrieks if she sees a mouse. That’s all prehistoric."

Etymology

From pre- (“before”) + historic, q.v., similar to slightly earlier ante-historic.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: pre

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌpɹiː.hɪsˈtoɹ.ɪk/

Inflected Forms

more prehistoric (comparative) most prehistoric (superlative) pre-historic (alternative)

Derived Forms

nonprehistoric prehistorically

Phrases

prehistoric age

Frequently Paired Words

prehistory precontact

Synonyms

ante-historic antediluvian prehistorical

Rhymes With

historic caloric euphoric meteoric warrick doric couric boric dysphoric orrick borek perchloric

Questions

How do you pronounce prehistoric?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌpɹiː.hɪsˈtoɹ.ɪk/.
What does prehistoric mean?: Of or relating to the epoch before written record.
Where does prehistoric come from?: From pre- (“before”) + historic, q.v., similar to slightly earlier ante-historic.

How to pronounce prehistoric

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