Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pilcrow

/ˈpɪl.kɹoʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: pil-crow
IPA: /ˈpɪl.kɹoʊ/

14

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The symbol ¶.

noun

The symbol ¶.

Example Sentences

"The pilcrow was a simple punctuation symbol used by medieval scribes to indicate the start and end of a paragraph."

Etymology

Probably an alteration of Middle English pylcrafte, modification of Late Latin paragraphus, itself from the Ancient Greek παράγραφος (parágraphos).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: pylcrafte, paragraphus, παράγραφος

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɪl.kɹoʊ/
British English: /ˈpɪl.kɹəʊ/

Inflected Forms

pilcrows (plural)

Derived Forms

silcrow

Synonyms

paragraph character paragraph mark paragraph marker paragraph sign paragraph symbol

Rhymes With

to so do no so-so know go show though as though oh ago

Questions

How do you pronounce pilcrow?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɪl.kɹoʊ/.
What does pilcrow mean?: The symbol ¶.
Where does pilcrow come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce pilcrow

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