Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

snakes and ladders

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.15 in modern English

Syllables: snakes and lad-ders
IPA

23

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A children's luck-based board game of Indian origin, played on a numbered grid, the aim of which is to proceed to the end, and in which ladders aid progress and snakes impede it.

Uncountable

noun

Any situation in which people or events go forward and backward, seemingly at random.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Teachers, senior teachers, and principal teachers would have built-in status and the scales would offer well-defined career prospects instead of the ambiguous and often misleading snakes-and-ladders situation which at present exists."
"His Mireille has had a snakes-and-ladders career, starting up, going down, then finally rising once more."
"But his snakes and ladders career would soon take its biggest hit."
"As the country continues to wrestle with one of the greatest upheavals to everyday life in recent memory, passenger numbers have had a turbulent 'snakes and ladders' journey - and continue to lag behind pre-pandemic levels."

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

snakes-and-ladders (alternative)

Phrases

back to square one swings and roundabouts

Frequently Paired Words

back to square one swings and roundabouts

Synonyms

chutes and ladders

Questions

What does snakes and ladders mean?: A children's luck-based board game of Indian origin, played on a numbered grid, the aim of which is to proceed to the end, and in which ladders aid progress and snakes impede it.

How to pronounce snakes and ladders

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