Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

spill the beans

/ˌspɪl ðə ˈbiːnz/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.66 in modern English

Syllables: spill the beans
IPA: /ˌspɪl ðə ˈbiːnz/

20

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

1

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To reveal a secret; to disclose information.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"They had planned it as a surprise party, but somebody spilled the beans."
"I guarantee you, someone's going to spill the beans and next thing this shit's all over the news."
"He accepted a contract to kill you and Frank DePalma. You because she couldn't be sure what Wennington had told you, and Frank because he got cold feet and was about to spill the beans."
"More unsettling was the origin story of the infamous tell-all book Princess in Love. Diana claimed to be outraged in 1994 when Daily Express journalist Anna Pasternak spilled the beans of her affair with former army officer James Hewitt[…]"
"Shall we meet up for a meal and I think I can be persuaded to spill the beans if I drink enough wine."

Etymology

First attested in 20th century American English. One possible origin for the phrase is from an Ancient Greek practice of using different-coloured beans for voting, where spilling the jar containing them would unwantedly reveal the results, though this might be folk etymology.

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

spills the beans (present, singular) spilling the beans (participle, present) spilled the beans (participle, past) spilled the beans (past) spilt the beans (participle, past) spilt the beans (past)

Derived Forms

beanspilling

Synonyms

let the cat out of the bag spill one's guts spill the tea talk tattle blab peach babble sing babble out blab out

Rhymes With

means by no means teens beans jeans magazines queens marines greens submarines leans keynes

Questions

How do you pronounce spill the beans?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌspɪl ðə ˈbiːnz/.
What does spill the beans mean?: To reveal a secret; to disclose information.
Where does spill the beans come from?: First attested in 20th century American English. One possible origin for the phrase is from an Ancient Greek practice of using different-coloured beans for voting, where spilling the jar containing them would unwantedly reveal the results, though this might be folk etymology.

How to pronounce spill the beans

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