Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cali

/ˈkæli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.33 in modern English

Syllables: cali
IPA: /ˈkæli/

6

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

Nickname for California: a state of the United States.

Colloquial

name

A city in western Colombia, southwest of Bogotá.

name

A river in Colombia which flows by the city.

name

Archaic form of Kali (“Hindu goddess”).

Archaic

Example Sentences

"We drove to Cali / And got drunk on the beach"
""Why do I have to live here?" she asked for the umpteenth time, seeing no reason for the twentyfive-hundred-mile move from New York to Cali."

Etymology

Clipping of California. Compare Vietnamese Ca Li.

Origin

Source language: Spanish

Word Breakdown

Root: Cali

Usage

Phrases

Cali or bust

Synonyms

Santiago de Cali

Homonyms

kali

Rhymes With

ali holly molly bali poly jolly dolly mali somali trolley polly folly

Questions

How do you pronounce cali?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkæli/.
What does cali mean?: Nickname for California: a state of the United States.
Where does cali come from?: It is traced to Spanish.

How to pronounce cali

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