Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ragtime

/ˈɹæɡˌtaɪm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.57 in modern English

Syllables
rag-time
IPA
/ˈɹæɡˌtaɪm/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A musical form having a rhythm characterized by strong syncopation in the melody with a regularly accented accompaniment.

Uncountable

noun

A piece of music in this style.

Countable

verb

To perform this style of music.

Etymology

Likely from ragged + time, in reference to its heavy use of syncopation, or from rag, an American dialectal term for a dance ball.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɹæɡˌtaɪm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

ragtimes (plural) rag-time (alternative) ragtimes (present, singular) ragtiming (participle, present) ragtimed (participle, past) ragtimed (past)

Derived Forms

ragtimelike ragtimer ragtimey ragtiming ragtimy

Synonyms

rag

Questions

How do you pronounce ragtime?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹæɡˌtaɪm/.
What does ragtime mean?
A musical form having a rhythm characterized by strong syncopation in the melody with a regularly accented accompaniment.
Where does ragtime come from?
Likely from ragged + time, in reference to its heavy use of syncopation, or from rag, an American dialectal term for a dance ball.

How to pronounce ragtime

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