Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

saxophone

/ˈsæksəˌfoʊ̯n/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.15 in modern English

Syllables
sax-o-phone
IPA
/ˈsæksəˌfoʊ̯n/
21
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A single-reed instrument musical instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and with a distinctive loop bringing the bell upwards.

noun

Someone who plays the saxophone; a saxophonist.

verb

To play the saxophone.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from French saxophone, a combination of the surname of its inventor Adolphe Sax (1814–1894) + -o- + -phone (“something that makes a sound”), from Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound, voice”). The first element surname is a variant of the German Sachs (“Saxon”). Analyzable as Sax + -o- + -phone.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈsæksəˌfoʊ̯n/
  • British English: /ˈsæksəˌfəʊ̯n/

Inflected Forms

saxophones (plural) saxophones (present, singular) saxophoning (participle, present) saxophoned (participle, past) saxophoned (past)

Derived Forms

jazzophone sax saxophonelike saxophonic saxophonist saxophony trumpophone

Phrases

alto saxophone baritone saxophone bass saxophone contrabass saxophone sopranino saxophone sopranissimo saxophone soprano saxophone soprillo saxophone

Synonyms

sax gobble-pipe saxomaphone

Questions

How do you pronounce saxophone?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsæksəˌfoʊ̯n/.
What does saxophone mean?
A single-reed instrument musical instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and with a distinctive loop bringing the bell upwards.
Where does saxophone come from?
It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce saxophone

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