Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

terror

/ˈtɛɹɚ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.26 in modern English

Syllables
ter-ror
IPA
/ˈtɛɹɚ/
6
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Intense dread, fright, or fear.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The action or quality of causing dread; terribleness, especially such qualities in narrative fiction.

Uncountable

noun

Something or someone that causes such fear.

Countable

noun

Terrorism.

Uncountable

noun

A night terror.

Countable

adj

A strict teacher who fails most of the students.

Slang

name

The Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tres- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *troséyeti Proto-Italic *trozeō Latin terreō Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *-ōs Proto-Italic *-ōs Latin -or Latin terrorbor. Old French terreur Middle French terreurbor. Middle English terrour English terror From late Middle English terrour, from Old French terreur f (“terror, fear, dread”), from Latin terror (“fright, fear, terror”), from terrēre (“to frighten, terrify”), from Old Latin tr̥reō, from Proto-Italic *trozeō, from Proto-Indo-European *tre- (“to shake”), *tres- (“to tremble”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈtɛɹɚ/
  • British English: /ˈtɛɹə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

terrors (plural) terrour (alternative, obsolete) more terror (comparative) most terror (superlative)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

terra (both non-rhotic) Terra (Mary–marry–merry merger) tearer tare (some American dialects) tear

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce terror?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtɛɹɚ/.
What does terror mean?
Intense dread, fright, or fear.
Where does terror come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce terror

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