Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

omen

/ˈoʊ̯mən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.12 in modern English

Syllables: o-men
IPA: /ˈoʊ̯mən/

6

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Something which portends or is perceived to portend either a good or evil event or circumstance in the future, or which causes a foreboding; a portent or augury.

noun

A thing of prophetic significance.

verb

To be an omen of.

Transitive verb

verb

To divine or predict from omens.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"The ghost's appearance was an ill omen."
"A rise in imports might be an omen of economic recovery."
"The egg has, during the span of history, represented mystery, magic, medicine, food and omen."
"Day broke. He saw three black hens asleep in a tree. He shuddered, horrified at this omen. Then he promised the Holy Virgin three chasubles for the church, and that he would go barefooted from the cemetery at Bertaux to the chapel of Vassonville."
"Necessarily she took it for an omen."
"A sign of ill omen."

Etymology

From Latin ōmen (“foreboding, omen”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: ōmen

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈoʊ̯mən/
British English: /ˈəʊ̯mən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

omens (plural) omens (present, singular) omening (participle, present) omened (participle, past) omened (past)

Derived Forms

omenic omenless

Phrases

absit omen bird of ill omen stars are aligned

Frequently Paired Words

ominous abomination oracle predict augury foreboding portend portent

Synonyms

augury auspice forecast foreshadowing foretoken forewarning harbinger herald hint indication oracle portent

Rhymes With

roman abdomen bowman greco-roman showman yeoman stroman coman homan businesswomen loman oklahoman

Questions

How do you pronounce omen?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈoʊ̯mən/.
What does omen mean?: Something which portends or is perceived to portend either a good or evil event or circumstance in the future, or which causes a foreboding; a portent or augury.
Where does omen come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce omen

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