Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kindergarten

/ˈkɪndəɹˌɡɑːɹt(ə)n/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.79 in modern English

Syllables
kin-der-gar-ten
IPA
/ˈkɪndəɹˌɡɑːɹt(ə)n/
18
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An educational institution for young children, usually between ages 4 and 6; a nursery school.

Australian usage; Canadian usage; Indian usage; British usage; American usage

noun

The elementary school grade before first grade.

Canadian usage; Indian usage; American usage

noun

The two levels between nursery and prep; the second and third years of preschool.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from German Kindergarten (“kindergarten”, literally “garden of children”), coined by German pedagogue Friedrich Fröbel in 1840.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈkɪndəɹˌɡɑːɹt(ə)n/
  • British English: /ˈkɪndəˌɡɑːt(ə)n/

Usage

Inflected Forms

kindergartens (plural) kindergärten (obsolete, plural) kindergarden (alternative) kintergarden (alternative)

Derived Forms

kinder kindergarchy kindergartener kindergartenish kindergartenize kinderwhore kindy nonkindergarten prekindergarten

Frequently Paired Words

kindergartner daycare

Synonyms

preschool nursery school KG reception

Rhymes With

barton spartan carton tartan harten dishearten hearten

Questions

How do you pronounce kindergarten?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɪndəɹˌɡɑːɹt(ə)n/.
What does kindergarten mean?
An educational institution for young children, usually between ages 4 and 6; a nursery school.
Where does kindergarten come from?
Unadapted borrowing from German Kindergarten (“kindergarten”, literally “garden of children”), coined by German pedagogue Friedrich Fröbel in 1840.

How to pronounce kindergarten

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