Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

schlemiel

/ʃləˈmiːl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.25 in modern English

Syllables: schlemiel
IPA: /ʃləˈmiːl/

16

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A loser or a fool.

American usage; Slang

noun

A person who is clumsy or who hurts others emotionally.

American usage; Slang

Example Sentences

"On Jewish Heritage Day, there was ample time to debate whether the Mets are schlemiels or schlimazels with the home team down 8-1 after five. Fans were given shirts that read “Let’s Go Mets” in Hebrew, but “Oy vey!” was more appropriate."
"In that series, creator/writer/star Dildarian played the titular Tim, a 20-something laconic schlemiel living in New York with his girlfriend, Amy — a “Curb Your Enthusiasm”-type existence peppered with awkward situations."

Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish שלימיל (shlimil).

Usage

American usage
Slang

Inflected Forms

schlemiels (plural) schlemihl (alternative) shlemiel (alternative) shlemihl (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

schlimazel schmuck schmendrick

Synonyms

shlemiel

Rhymes With

feel real deal we'll green new deal mobile square deal steel appeal wheel meal reveal

Questions

How do you pronounce schlemiel?: The recorded pronunciation is /ʃləˈmiːl/.
What does schlemiel mean?: A loser or a fool.
Where does schlemiel come from?: Borrowed from Yiddish שלימיל (shlimil).

How to pronounce schlemiel

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