Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

obama

/oʊˈbɑ.mə/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.86 in modern English

Syllables: oba-ma
IPA: /oʊˈbɑ.mə/

9

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

3

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

An African surname from Luo.

name

An African surname from Luo.

name

A city in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. See Wikipedia:Obama, Fukui.

name

A Japanese surname.

name

A samurai clan of feudal Japan.

Example Sentences

"(The Browns gave the Obamas an ornate penholder made from the timber of a Victorian antislave ship.)"
"From his studies of these thinkers and activists, Mr. Obama took what he called the “Niebuhrian” lesson that we can have “a cleareyed view of the world and the realities of cruelty and sin and greed and violence, and yet, still maintain a sense of hope and possibility, as an act of will and leap of faith.”"

Etymology

Etymology tree Luo obam Luo Mobamder. English Obama A corruption of the Luo by-name Mobam (“born with a crooked back”), itself from Luo obam (“to lean or bend”).

Word Breakdown

Root: -, obam

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /oʊˈbɑ.mə/
British English: /əʊˈbɑː.mə/

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in People.

Inflected Forms

Obamas (plural)

Derived Forms

BHO Bushbama Joebama Nobama Obamabot Obamacan ObamaCare Obamacon Obamacrat Obamagate Obamageddon Obamaism

Phrases

Mike Obama Obama-esque Obama phone Obama-rama

Synonyms

Barry the Fairy Bathhouse Barry

Rhymes With

drama mama lama momma mamma osama comma sama rama yokohama llama saitama

Questions

How do you pronounce obama?: The recorded pronunciation is /oʊˈbɑ.mə/.
What does obama mean?: An African surname from Luo.
Where does obama come from?: Etymology tree Luo obam Luo Mobamder. English Obama A corruption of the Luo by-name Mobam (“born with a crooked back”), itself from Luo obam (“to lean or bend”).

How to pronounce obama

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