Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

stilt

/stɪlt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.37 in modern English

Syllables
stilt
IPA
/stɪlt/
5
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Either of two poles with footrests that allow someone to stand or walk above the ground; used mostly by entertainers.

noun

A tall pillar or post used to support some structure; often above water.

noun

Any of various wading birds of the genera Himantopus and Cladorhynchus, related to the avocet, that have extremely long legs and long thin bills.

noun

A crutch.

noun

The handle of a plough.

verb

to raise on stilts, or as if on stilts

verb

to apply unnecessary pomp or formality

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English stilte, stulte, from Old English *stilte, *stylte, from Proto-Germanic *stiltijǭ, *staltijǭ, *stultijǭ (“stilt”), from Proto-Germanic *stelt- (“to be stiff”). Akin to Danish stylte, Dutch stelt, German Stelze.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: stilte, *stilte, *stiltijǭ, *stelt-

Inflected Forms

stilts (plural) stilts (present, singular) stilting (participle, present) stilted (participle, past) stilted (past)

Derived Forms

stiltbird stilter stiltify stiltish stiltlike stiltwalker stiltwalking stilty

Phrases

banded stilt black-necked stilt black-winged stilt stilt bug stilt grass stilt house stilt palm stilt plover

Frequently Paired Words

pile pier staddle stone

Synonyms

stiltbird longlegs long-legs stilt plover himantopus stilt australian stilt pile spile piling

Rhymes With

built guilt tilt rebuilt quilt wilt gilt silt spilt hilt kilt milt

Questions

How do you pronounce stilt?
The recorded pronunciation is /stɪlt/.
What does stilt mean?
Either of two poles with footrests that allow someone to stand or walk above the ground; used mostly by entertainers.
Where does stilt come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce stilt

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