Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

railway

/ˈɹeɪlˌweɪ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.46 in modern English

Syllables: rail-way
IPA: /ˈɹeɪlˌweɪ/

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A transport system using rails used to move passengers or goods.

British usage

noun

A track, consisting of parallel rails, over which wheeled vehicles such as trains may travel.

British usage

Example Sentences

"That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired."
"His interest in railways is not the quality that marks Pearson out. Everyone was interested in railways. Over a thousand miles of them opened between 1837 and 1845, most of what would become the national network. [...] You needed an Act of Parliament to build a railway; but that wasn't very hard to obtain if you could give the appearance of adequately funded competence."

Etymology

From rail + way.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɹeɪlˌweɪ/
British English: /ˈɹeɪlˌweɪ/

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

railways (plural)

Derived Forms

antirailway interrailway nonrailway parkway prerailway railwayac railwayana railwaydom railwayish railwayist railwayless railwaylike

Phrases

aerial railway atmospheric railway cash railway cliff railway cog railway elevated railway funicular railway heritage railway

Frequently Paired Words

railbuff railfan monorail permanent way right of way streetcar subway trackway

Synonyms

railline rail line railroad line railroad track rails railtrack rail track railway line railway track train track rail railroad

Questions

How do you pronounce railway?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹeɪlˌweɪ/.
What does railway mean?: A transport system using rails used to move passengers or goods.
Where does railway come from?: From rail + way.

How to pronounce railway

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