Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

test the waters

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.38 in modern English

Syllables
test the wa-ters
IPA
19
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To explore or probe, as before making a commitment.

Example Sentences

Inflected Forms

tests the waters (present, singular) testing the waters (participle, present) tested the waters (participle, past) tested the waters (past) test the water (alternative)

Phrases

raise the flag and see who salutes trial balloon

Frequently Paired Words

raise the flag and see who salutes trial balloon

Synonyms

dip one's toe in the water put one's toe in the water put out feelers

Questions

What does test the waters mean?
To explore or probe, as before making a commitment.

How to pronounce test the waters

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “test the waters”.
  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 “test the waters”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “test the waters” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.