Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

accident waiting to happen

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.46 in modern English

Syllables
ac-ci-den-t wait-ing -to hap-pen
IPA
39
Scrabble Score
23
Letters
7
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A thing or situation which is almost certain to eventually lead to an accident.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Attested 1930s.

Inflected Forms

accidents waiting to happen (plural)

Phrases

disaster waiting to happen waiting to happen court disaster -in-waiting time bomb trainwreck in slow motion

Frequently Paired Words

court disaster -in-waiting time bomb trainwreck in slow motion

Questions

What does accident waiting to happen mean?
A thing or situation which is almost certain to eventually lead to an accident.
Where does accident waiting to happen come from?
Attested 1930s.

How to pronounce accident waiting to happen

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