weta

/ˈwɛtə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.15 in modern English

Scrabble Score

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Meaning

noun

Any of about 70 insect species in the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand, resembling katydids or crickets.

New Zealand usage

"We came to know by heart […] her excitement on her first day at school at seeing a weta crawling on brother Willy's knee (‘Oooh, look on Willy's knee!’) […]."
"It also carried […] the forebears of wētā insects and the worm-caterpillar peripatus."

Borrowed from Māori wētā.

wetas (plural)

giant weta

Questions

How do you pronounce weta?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɛtə/.

What does weta mean?

Any of about 70 insect species in the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand, resembling katydids or crickets.

Where does weta come from?

Borrowed from Māori wētā.

How to pronounce weta

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “weta”.

Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwɛtə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.

Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “weta”.

Repeat and practice — Say “weta” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.