Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

portent

/ˈpɔɹtɛnt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.30 in modern English

Syllables
por-tent
IPA
/ˈpɔɹtɛnt/
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Something that portends an event about to occur, especially an unfortunate or evil event; an omen.

noun

A portending; significance

noun

Something regarded as portentous; a marvel; prodigy.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin portentum, participle of portendere, from portendō (“to predict, to foretell”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *per-, portentum

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈpɔɹtɛnt/
  • British English: /ˈpɔːtɛnt/

Inflected Forms

portents (plural)

Derived Forms

portentive

Frequently Paired Words

portend portentous

Synonyms

omen presage prognostic prognostication prodigy

Questions

How do you pronounce portent?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɔɹtɛnt/.
What does portent mean?
Something that portends an event about to occur, especially an unfortunate or evil event; an omen.
Where does portent come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce portent

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