Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

start

/stɑɹt/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.56 in modern English

Syllables
start
IPA
/stɑɹt/
5
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The beginning of an activity.

noun

A sudden involuntary movement.

noun

The beginning point of a race, a board game, etc.

noun

An appearance in a sports game, horserace, etc., from the beginning of the event.

noun

A young plant germinated in a pot to be transplanted later.

noun

An initial advantage over somebody else; a head start.

noun

A happening or proceeding.

British usage; Archaic; Slang

noun

Alternative letter-case form of Start (“a typical button for video games, originally used to start a game, now also often to pause or choose an option”)

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *sturtijan Old English styrtan Middle English stertendeverb. Middle English stert English start From Middle English stert, from the verb sterten (“to start, startle”). See below.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: stert, sterten, styrtan, *sturtijan, *(s)ter-, steort

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /stɑɹt/
  • British English: /stɑːt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

starts (plural) sta't (alternative, pronunciation spelling) staht (alternative, pronunciation spelling) starts (present, singular) starting (participle, present) started (participle, past) started (past) more start (comparative) most start (superlative) the Start (canonical)

Derived Forms

autostart blackstart deadstart forestart headstart jumpstart kickstart outstart prestart quickstart restart startbox

Phrases

alpine start black start bump-start by fits and starts by starts and leaps cold start Delaware start down start

Frequently Paired Words

get started jump-start start off start on start out start up the terms derived from starting

Synonyms

jump begin beginning commencement starting startle head start starting signal

Antonyms

stop end cease finish conclude complete

Rhymes With

part heart art state-of-the-art smart apart chart hart cart mart restart depart

Questions

How do you pronounce start?
The recorded pronunciation is /stɑɹt/.
What does start mean?
The beginning of an activity.
Where does start come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce start

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