Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

urgency

/ˈɜː.d͡ʒən.si/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.55 in modern English

Syllables: ur-gen-cy
IPA: /ˈɜː.d͡ʒən.si/

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The quality or condition of being urgent.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Insistence, pressure, urge.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A sudden and compelling need to urinate that is difficult to defer, associated with conditions such as urinary tract infections and overactive bladder.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"the urgency of a demand"
"Arsenal lacked urgency and inspiration until shortly before half-time, Wheater's block denying Van Persie from close range before Walcott drilled wide."
"I have this sudden urgency to use the toilet."

Etymology

From urgent + -ency or Latin urgentia.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: urgentia
Suffix: urgent

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɜː.d͡ʒən.si/
British English: /ˈɜː.d͡ʒən.si/

Usage

Inflected Forms

urgencies (plural) urgence (alternative, archaic)

Derived Forms

nonurgency unurgency

Synonyms

exigency clamancy importunity urging

Rhymes With

emergency insurgency counterinsurgency nonemergency resurgency assurgency divergency convergency detergency surgeoncy vergency turgency

Questions

How do you pronounce urgency?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɜː.d͡ʒən.si/.
What does urgency mean?: The quality or condition of being urgent.
Where does urgency come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce urgency

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