Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hydrophobia

/ˌhaɪ.dɹəˈfoʊ.bi.ə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.69 in modern English

Syllables
hy-dro-phob-ia
IPA
/ˌhaɪ.dɹəˈfoʊ.bi.ə/
25
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An aversion to water, as a symptom of rabies; the disease of rabies itself.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A morbid fear of water; aquaphobia.

Colloquial; Countable; Uncountable

noun

A lack of affinity for water; the quality of being hydrophobic

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English idroforbia (“hydrophobia”), from Latin hydrophobia, from Ancient Greek ὑδροφοβία (hudrophobía), from ὑδρο- (hudro-), combining form of ῠ̔́δωρ (hŭ́dōr, “water”), + φοβία (phobía, “phobia”). The word is analysable as hydro- + -phobia.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌhaɪ.dɹəˈfoʊ.bi.ə/
  • British English: /ˌhaɪ.dɹə(ʊ)ˈfəʊ.bi.ə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

hydrophobia cat hydrophobia skunk aquagenic urticaria aquagenic pruritus

Frequently Paired Words

antihydrophobic hydrophobe hydrophobic hydrophobist hydrophobophobia superhydrophobe aquagenic urticaria aquagenic pruritus

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce hydrophobia?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhaɪ.dɹəˈfoʊ.bi.ə/.
What does hydrophobia mean?
An aversion to water, as a symptom of rabies; the disease of rabies itself.
Where does hydrophobia come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce hydrophobia

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