Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

punctuation

/ˌpʌŋk.t͡ʃuˈeɪ.ʃən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.29 in modern English

Syllables: punc-tu-a-tion
IPA: /ˌpʌŋk.t͡ʃuˈeɪ.ʃən/

15

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A set of symbols and marks which are used to clarify meaning in text by separating strings of words into clauses, phrases and sentences; examples include commas, hyphens, and stops (periods).

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Countable; Uncountable

noun

An act of punctuating.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Different languages have different rules for punctuation."
"Jeremiah ii. 34, where the meaningless אֵלֶּה ("these") of the Massoretic text should be corrected into אַלָּה or לַהאֱ ("oak" or "terebinth") […] The change is merely one of punctuation; the original Hebrew text remains unaffected."

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin punctuātiō (“a marking with points, a writing, agreement”), from punctuō (“to mark with points, settle”). Morphologically, punctuate + -ion.

Word Breakdown

Root: punctuātiō
Suffix: punctuate

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Linguistics.

Inflected Forms

punctuations (plural)

Derived Forms

interpunctuation mispunctuation nonpunctuation overpunctuation punctuational punctuationism punctuationist punctuationless repunctuation underpunctuation

Phrases

film punctuation logical punctuation punctuation mark punctuation space under-punctuation curly brackets square bracket exclamation mark

Frequently Paired Words

point punctilious punctuate punctual punctuality apostrophe curly brackets brace

Synonyms

punctuation mark

Rhymes With

information education situation population station association administration operation organization nation location application

Questions

How do you pronounce punctuation?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌpʌŋk.t͡ʃuˈeɪ.ʃən/.
What does punctuation mean?: A set of symbols and marks which are used to clarify meaning in text by separating strings of words into clauses, phrases and sentences; examples include commas, hyphens, and stops (periods).
Where does punctuation come from?: Borrowed from Medieval Latin punctuātiō (“a marking with points, a writing, agreement”), from punctuō (“to mark with points, settle”). Morphologically, punctuate + -ion.

How to pronounce punctuation

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “punctuation”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌpʌŋk.t͡ʃuˈeɪ.ʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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