Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

smallpox

/ˈsmɔlpɑks/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.26 in modern English

Syllables: small-pox
IPA: /ˈsmɔlpɑks/

19

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An acute, highly infectious often fatal disease caused by Variola virus of the family Poxviridae. It was completely eradicated in the 1970s, but still exists in laboratories. Those who survived were left with pockmarks.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The Europeans brought new diseases such as smallpox, measles, dysentery, influenza, syphilis and leprosy."
"We know that the most deadly of the early epidemics in America were those of the eruptive fevers—smallpox, measles, typhus, and so on. The first to arrive and the deadliest, said contemporaries, was smallpox."
"Can't make it in today, Mr. Smithers; I have smallpox. Well it wasn't wiped out in my house!"

Etymology

From small + pox, in contrast to greatpox (“syphilis”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈsmɔlpɑks/
British English: /ˈsmɔːlpɒks/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

smallpoxes (plural)

Derived Forms

antismallpox

Synonyms

variola variola major

Questions

How do you pronounce smallpox?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsmɔlpɑks/.
What does smallpox mean?: An acute, highly infectious often fatal disease caused by Variola virus of the family Poxviridae. It was completely eradicated in the 1970s, but still exists in laboratories. Those who survived were left with pockmarks.
Where does smallpox come from?: From small + pox, in contrast to greatpox (“syphilis”).

How to pronounce smallpox

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