Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sea urchin

/ˈsi ˌɝtʃɪ̈n/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.79 in modern English

Syllables: sea ur-chin
IPA: /ˈsi ˌɝtʃɪ̈n/

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of many marine echinoderms, of the class Echinoidea, commonly found in shallow water, having a complex chewing structure named Aristotle's lantern.

Example Sentences

"1986, Patrick S. Leahy, Chapter 1: Laboratory Culture of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus Adults, Embryos, and Larvae, Thomas E. Schroeder (editor), Methods in Cell Biology, Volume 27: Echinoderm Gametes and Embryos, page 2, Of the many species of sea urchins utilized in biological research today the most widely used in North America is probably the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus."
"The pericentriolar radial complex characteristic of the spermatozoa of other echinoderms is lacking in the spermatozoa of all sea urchins."
"Approximately 20% of sea urchins are direct-developers, meaning that they bypass the pluteal larval stage and develop directly into an adult sea urchin."

Etymology

From sea + urchin (“hedgehog”), reflecting a similarity in appearance to a hedgehog.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: sea
Suffix: urchin

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈsi ˌɝtʃɪ̈n/

Inflected Forms

sea urchins (plural)

Phrases

sea-urchin cactus sand dollar

Frequently Paired Words

sand dollar

Synonyms

button fish sea chestnut sea egg sea hedgehog

Questions

How do you pronounce sea urchin?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsi ˌɝtʃɪ̈n/.
What does sea urchin mean?: Any of many marine echinoderms, of the class Echinoidea, commonly found in shallow water, having a complex chewing structure named Aristotle's lantern.
Where does sea urchin come from?: From sea + urchin (“hedgehog”), reflecting a similarity in appearance to a hedgehog.

How to pronounce sea urchin

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sea urchin”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsi ˌɝtʃɪ̈n/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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