Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

what the doctor ordered

/ˌʍɑt ðə ˈdɑktɚ ˌɔɹdɚd/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.51 in modern English

Syllables
what the doc-tor or-dered
IPA
/ˌʍɑt ðə ˈdɑktɚ ˌɔɹdɚd/
34
Scrabble Score
20
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation; something very beneficial or desirable.

Uncountable

Etymology

A reference to a doctor prescribing treatment to alleviate a patient’s illness, or a course of action (exercise, a healthy diet, relaxation, etc.) that will be beneficial to the patient’s health.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌʍɑt ðə ˈdɑktɚ ˌɔɹdɚd/
  • British English: /ˌʍɒt ðə ˈdɒktə ˌɔːdəd/

Usage

Inflected Forms

just what the doctor ordered (alternative)

Phrases

doctor's orders you are the doctor you're the doctor

Frequently Paired Words

doctor's orders you are the doctor you're the doctor

Questions

How do you pronounce what the doctor ordered?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌʍɑt ðə ˈdɑktɚ ˌɔɹdɚd/.
What does what the doctor ordered mean?
Exactly what is necessary or useful in a given situation; something very beneficial or desirable.
Where does what the doctor ordered come from?
A reference to a doctor prescribing treatment to alleviate a patient’s illness, or a course of action (exercise, a healthy diet, relaxation, etc.) that will be beneficial to the patient’s health.

How to pronounce what the doctor ordered

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