Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

play by ear

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.40 in modern English

Syllables: play by ear
IPA

19

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To play guided by one's musical perception and intuition, rather than from a written score.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To do by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; to react to events as they occur, often with risk of negative outcomes; to improvise.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"If they ask for something we didn't prepare, we will have to play it by ear."
"There over, hereunder / Or up above, don't wonder / We can always play by ear / But that's the deal, my dear"

Usage

Inflected Forms

plays by ear (present, singular) playing by ear (participle, present) played by ear (participle, past) played by ear (past)

Phrases

ad hoc

Frequently Paired Words

ad hoc impromptu

Synonyms

fly by the seat of one's pants make it up as one goes along wing it

Questions

What does play by ear mean?: To play guided by one's musical perception and intuition, rather than from a written score.

How to pronounce play by ear

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “play by ear”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “play by ear” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.