Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

soul food

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.71 in modern English

Syllables: soul -food
IPA

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Nourishment for the soul; spiritual sustenance.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A style of food originating in the rural southern US, traditionally associated with African Americans.

American usage; Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"I couldn't wait for eight o'clock to get home to eat out of those soul-food pots of Ella's, then get dressed in my zoot and head for some of my friends' places in town, to lindy-hop and get high, […]"
"Sugar Plum Fairy came and hit the streets / Looking for soul food and a place to eat"
"Generations of African Americans in the US were told soul food was simple and unhealthy, Oliver says."

Etymology

(food): Originated in the mid-1960s, when soul was commonly used to describe African-American culture.

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Food.

Inflected Forms

soul foods (plural) soul-food (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

food for thought

Questions

What does soul food mean?: Nourishment for the soul; spiritual sustenance.
Where does soul food come from?: (food): Originated in the mid-1960s, when soul was commonly used to describe African-American culture.

How to pronounce soul food

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