Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

soothsayer

/ˈsuθˌseɪɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.20 in modern English

Syllables: sooth-say-er
IPA: /ˈsuθˌseɪɚ/

16

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One who attempts to predict the future, using magic, intuition or intelligence; a diviner.

noun

A mantis (Mantodea spp.)

noun

One who tells the truth; a truthful person.

Obsolete

noun

A double dart moth (Graphiphora augur).

Example Sentences

"It is a great pleasure to be with you today and to speak to you concerning the future of medicine. In so doing, I do not wish to pose as a soothsayer or crystal gazer."
"The past twenty years have seen their share of soothsayers ready to predict with conviction one extreme or another of the alternative futures I have presented."
"The doomsday prophet / Whose words have all come true / The naysaying soothsayer / So cynical and blue"

Etymology

From Middle English sothsaier, zothziggere, by surface analysis, sooth (“truth”) + sayer.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: sothsaier

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈsuθˌseɪɚ/
British English: /ˈsuːθˌseɪə/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

soothsayers (plural) southsayer (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

soothsay

Frequently Paired Words

forsooth prognosticator seer prophet

Synonyms

forecaster predictor prognosticator

Rhymes With

player mayor layer mayer slayer surveyor conveyor bayer payer thayer maier beyer

Questions

How do you pronounce soothsayer?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsuθˌseɪɚ/.
What does soothsayer mean?: One who attempts to predict the future, using magic, intuition or intelligence; a diviner.
Where does soothsayer come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce soothsayer

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