Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

spermaceti

/spɚməˈsiːti/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.53 in modern English

Syllables
sper-ma-ceti
IPA
/spɚməˈsiːti/
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A wax obtained from the head of sperm whales and used to make cosmetics, etc; humans separate it out from sperm oil.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Latin sperma (“sperm”) + Latin cētī (“of the whale”, genitive of cētus).

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /spɚməˈsiːti/
  • British English: /ˌspɜːməˈsiːti/

Usage

Phrases

Questions

How do you pronounce spermaceti?
The recorded pronunciation is /spɚməˈsiːti/.
What does spermaceti mean?
A wax obtained from the head of sperm whales and used to make cosmetics, etc; humans separate it out from sperm oil.
Where does spermaceti come from?
From Latin sperma (“sperm”) + Latin cētī (“of the whale”, genitive of cētus).

How to pronounce spermaceti

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