Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

spirit

/ˈspɪɹɪt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.79 in modern English

Syllables
spir-it
IPA
/ˈspɪɹɪt/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The soul of a person or other creature.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A supernatural being, often but not exclusively without physical form; ghost, fairy, angel.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A feeling of passion.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A feeling of passion.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The manner or style of something.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Intent; real meaning; opposed to the letter, or formal statement.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A volatile liquid, such as alcohol. The plural form spirits is a generic term for distilled alcoholic beverages.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

One who is vivacious or lively; one who evinces great activity or peculiar characteristics of mind or temper.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys-der.? Latin spīrō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin spīritus Old French espiritbor. Middle English spirit English spirit From Middle English spirit, from Old French espirit (“spirit”), from Latin spīritus (“breath; spirit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- (“to blow, breathe”). Compare inspire, respire, transpire, all ultimately from Latin spīrō (“to breathe, blow, respire”). In this sense, displaced native Middle English gast (from Old English gāst), whence modern English ghost. Doublet of spiritus, spirytus, sprite, spright, and esprit.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: spirit, espirit, spīritus, *(s)peys-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈspɪɹɪt/
  • British English: /ˈspɪɹɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

ghost soul :Category:en:Distilled beverages

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce spirit?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈspɪɹɪt/.
What does spirit mean?
The soul of a person or other creature.
Where does spirit come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce spirit

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