Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

slapstick

/slˈæpstˌɪk/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.78 in modern English

Syllables: slap-stick
IPA: /slˈæpstˌɪk/

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A style of humor focusing on physical comedy, such as slipping on a banana peel, and with foolish characters who get into humiliating situations.

Uncountable

noun

A pair of sticks attached at one end and used to create a slapping sound effect, used especially in slapstick comedy; a type of clapper.

Countable

Etymology

From slap + stick, calque of Italian batacchio. The pair of sticks was used by the comic character Harlequin in the commedia dell'arte.

Usage

Inflected Forms

slapsticks (plural) slap-stick (alternative)

Derived Forms

slapsticker slapstickery slapstickish slapsticky splatstick

Synonyms

physical comedy

Rhymes With

capstick

Questions

How do you pronounce slapstick?: The recorded pronunciation is /slˈæpstˌɪk/.
What does slapstick mean?: A style of humor focusing on physical comedy, such as slipping on a banana peel, and with foolish characters who get into humiliating situations.
Where does slapstick come from?: From slap + stick, calque of Italian batacchio. The pair of sticks was used by the comic character Harlequin in the commedia dell'arte.

How to pronounce slapstick

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