Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

allusion

/əˈlu.ʒən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.94 in modern English

Syllables
al-lu-sion
IPA
/əˈlu.ʒən/
8
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An indirect reference; a hint; a reference to something supposed to be known, but not explicitly mentioned.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin lūdō Latin allūdō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin allūsiōlbor. English allusion From Latin allūsiōnem, accusative singular of allūsiō (“the act of playing with”), from allūdō (“play with; allude”), from al-, combining form of ad (“to”), + lūdō (“play”): compare French allusion.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /əˈlu.ʒən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce allusion?
The recorded pronunciation is /əˈlu.ʒən/.
What does allusion mean?
An indirect reference; a hint; a reference to something supposed to be known, but not explicitly mentioned.
Where does allusion come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin lūdō Latin allūdō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin allūsiōlbor. English allusion From Latin allūsiōnem, accusative singular of allūsiō (“the act of playing with”), from allūdō (“play with; allude”), from al-, combining form of ad (“to”), + lūdō (“play”): compare French allusion.

How to pronounce allusion

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