Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sea

/ˈsea/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.06 in modern English

Syllables
sea
IPA
/ˈsea/
3
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A large body of salt water.

noun

A large body of salt water.

noun

A large body of salt water.

noun

A lake, especially if large or if salty or brackish.

noun

A single wave; billow.

noun

The swell of the sea, especially when high or rough.

noun

Living or used in or on the sea; of, near, or like the sea.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English see, from Old English sǣ, from Proto-West Germanic *saiwi (“body of water”), from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz, itself either: * Derived from Proto-Indo-European *sh₂ey-wo- (“to be fierce, afflict”). Related to Latin saevus (“wild, fierce”), Tocharian B saiwe (“itch”), and Latvian sievs, sīvs (“sharp, biting”). More at sore. * Derived from Proto-Germanic *sīhwaną (“to percolate, filter”), from Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ-. Cognates Cognate with Yola zea, zee (“sea”), North Frisian See, sia, siie (“sea; lake”), Saterland Frisian See, Säi (“sea”), West Frisian see (“sea”), Cimbrian and Mòcheno sea (“lake”), Dutch zee (“sea”), German and German Low German See (“sea”), Limburgish Sië, zieë (“sea, ocean; lake”), Luxembourgish Séi (“lake”), West Flemish zji (“sea; seaside”), Danish sø (“sea; lake”), Faroese sjógvur (“sea; big wave”), Icelandic sjár, sjór, sær (“sea”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk sjø (“sea, ocean; lake”), Swedish sjö (“sea; lake; big wave”), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (saiws, “lake, sea; marshland”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: see, sǣ, *saiwi, *saiwiz, *sh₂ey-, *sīhwaną

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce sea?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsea/.
What does sea mean?
A large body of salt water.
Where does sea come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce sea

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