Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sulfur

/ˈsʌl.fɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.43 in modern English

Syllables
sul-fur
IPA
/ˈsʌl.fɚ/
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A yellowish green colour, like that of sulfur.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Any of various pierid butterflies of the subfamily Coliadinae, especially the sulfur-coloured species.

Uncountable

adj

Of a yellowish green colour, like that of sulfur.

verb

To treat with sulfur, or a sulfur compound, especially to preserve or to counter agricultural pests.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin sulpur Latin sulfur Latin sulphur Anglo-Norman sulfrebor. Middle English sulphur English sulfur From Middle English sulphur, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sulfre, from Latin sulfur, from sulpur itself of uncertain origin. Displaced Old English swefl and largely displaced brimstone.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈsʌl.fɚ/
  • British English: /ˈsʌl.fə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce sulfur?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsʌl.fɚ/.
What does sulfur mean?
A chemical element with atomic number 16, having a bright yellow color and characteristic smell, used commercially in a variety of products such as insecticides, black powder, and matchsticks.
Where does sulfur come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce sulfur

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