Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wildebeest

/ˈwɪldəbist/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.52 in modern English

Syllables: wil-de-beest
IPA: /ˈwɪldəbist/

16

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The gnu.

Example Sentences

"Dassoud […] stepped forward with a lash composed of the caudal appendages of half a dozen wildebeests."
"Later that morning, they wrapped Ian in a wildebeest skin and buried him near a shepherd tree."
"A group of wildebeest is called a confusion."

Etymology

Borrowed in the early 19th century from early Afrikaans wildebeest, modern wildebees (literally “wild ox”), with influence from beast.

Origin

Source language: Afrikaans

Word Breakdown

Root: wildebeest

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈwɪldəbist/

Inflected Forms

wildebeests (plural) wildebeesten (plural, rare)

Derived Forms

Hildabeast Hildebeast

Phrases

black wildebeest blue wildebeest

Frequently Paired Words

savanna migration ungulate hartebeest

Synonyms

gnu

Questions

How do you pronounce wildebeest?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɪldəbist/.
What does wildebeest mean?: The gnu.
Where does wildebeest come from?: It is traced to Afrikaans.

How to pronounce wildebeest

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