Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

symphony

/ˈsɪm.fə.ni/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.77 in modern English

Syllables
sym-pho-ny
IPA
/ˈsɪm.fə.ni/
21
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An extended piece of music of sophisticated structure, usually for orchestra.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

An instrumental introduction or termination to a vocal composition.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Harmony in music or colour, or a harmonious combination of elements.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A symphony orchestra.

American usage; Countable; Informal; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱómder.? Proto-Indo-European *sem-der.? Proto-Hellenic *ksún Ancient Greek σύν (sún) Ancient Greek σῠν- (sŭn-) Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *pʰōnā́ Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ) Ancient Greek -ος (-os) Ancient Greek σῠ́μφωνος (sŭ́mphōnos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) ▲ Ancient Greek σῠν- (sŭn-) ▲ Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ) ▲ Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā) Ancient Greek -φωνίᾱ (-phōníā) Ancient Greek σῠμφωνῐ́ᾱ (sŭmphōnĭ́ā)der. Latin symphōniader. Old French simphonieder. Middle English symphonye English symphony From Middle English symphonye, from Old French simphonie, from Latin symphonia, from Ancient Greek συμφωνία (sumphōnía). By surface analysis, sym- + -phony. Doublet of sinfonia, symphonia, tsampouna, and zampogna.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Music.

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce symphony?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɪm.fə.ni/.
What does symphony mean?
An extended piece of music of sophisticated structure, usually for orchestra.
Where does symphony come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce symphony

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