Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

styrofoam

/ˈstaɪ.ɹə.foʊm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.75 in modern English

Syllables: sty-ro-foam
IPA: /ˈstaɪ.ɹə.foʊm/

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Expanded polystyrene foam, such as is used in cups and packaging.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"A while ago I read your column concerning the effects of hot tea on styrofoam cups."
"In the past two years, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has located nearly 3,000 exoplanet candidates ranging from sub-Earth-sized minions to gas giants that dwarf our own Jupiter. Their densities range from that of styrofoam to iron."
"Expanded polystyrene foam—commonly, although incorrectly, called Styrofoam—has been the subject of a protracted battle between New York City officials and large industry players, particularly Dart."

Etymology

Genericized trademark of Styrofoam, from -styr- (from polystyrene) + -o- + foam.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈstaɪ.ɹə.foʊm/
British English: /ˈstaɪ.ɹə.fəʊm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

styrofoams (plural)

Derived Forms

styro styrofoamed styrofoamy

Phrases

styrofoam popcorn

Questions

How do you pronounce styrofoam?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈstaɪ.ɹə.foʊm/.
What does styrofoam mean?: Expanded polystyrene foam, such as is used in cups and packaging.
Where does styrofoam come from?: Genericized trademark of Styrofoam, from -styr- (from polystyrene) + -o- + foam.

How to pronounce styrofoam

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “styrofoam”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈstaɪ.ɹə.foʊm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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