Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

woodchuck

/ˈwʊd.t͡ʃʌk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.30 in modern English

Syllables: wood-chuck
IPA: /ˈwʊd.t͡ʃʌk/

24

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots, Marmota monax.

Etymology

Folk-etymological adaption of Cree ocêk, otchek (“fisher”), Ojibwe ojiig (“fisher, marten”), or a similar term in a related Algonquian language, subsequently reapplied to the groundhog. An earlier form of this word, woodshock, still sometimes designates the marten. Also a doublet of wejack.

Word Breakdown

Root: ocêk, ojiig

Inflected Forms

woodchucks (plural)

Synonyms

groundhog whistle pig land-beaver moonack marmota monax

Questions

How do you pronounce woodchuck?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwʊd.t͡ʃʌk/.
What does woodchuck mean?: A rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots, Marmota monax.
Where does woodchuck come from?: Folk-etymological adaption of Cree ocêk, otchek (“fisher”), Ojibwe ojiig (“fisher, marten”), or a similar term in a related Algonquian language, subsequently reapplied to the groundhog. An earlier form of this word, woodshock, still sometimes designates the marten. Also a doublet of wejack.

How to pronounce woodchuck

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