Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pun

/pʌn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.55 in modern English

Syllables
pun
IPA
/pʌn/
5
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To beat; strike with force; to ram; to pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder, to pulverize.

Obsolete; Transitive verb

verb

To make or tell a pun; to make a play on words.

Intransitive verb

noun

A joke or type of wordplay in which similar definitions or sounds of two words or phrases, or different definitions of the same word, are deliberately confused.

noun

Alternative form of bun (“Korean unit of measure”).

noun

A certain number of cowries, generally 80.

Indian usage

name

A surname.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English ponnen, ponen, punen, from Old English punian, pūnian (“to pound, beat, bray, bruise, crush, grind”), from Proto-Germanic *punōną (“to break to pieces, pulverize”). See pound. As a kind of word play, from the notion of “beating” the words into place.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: ponnen, punian, *punōną

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /pʌn/
  • British English: /pʌn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

puns (present, singular) punning (participle, present) punned (participle, past) punned (past) puns (plural) pund (alternative)

Derived Forms

punacious puncept punless punlet punlike punnable punnage punner punnery punnily punnish punnology

Phrases

no pun intended pun intended pun-off visual pun

Synonyms

paronomasia play on words punning wordplay

Rhymes With

one done run fun son won sun gun none un begun ton

Questions

How do you pronounce pun?
The recorded pronunciation is /pʌn/.
What does pun mean?
To beat; strike with force; to ram; to pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder, to pulverize.
Where does pun come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce pun

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