Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sound barrier

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.11 in modern English

Syllables: sound bar-ri-er
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Sonic barrier, the sudden increase in drag (resistance) and other effects experienced by moving objects when their speed approaches that of sound or becomes supersonic (which used to be considered a barrier to higher speeds).

Uncountable

noun

A noise barrier, a structure beside a highway designed to reduce the noise of traffic.

Countable

Example Sentences

"St Ives: The guided busway on the old railway alignment to Cambridge has just passed its tenth anniversary. Railfuture has noted its down-at-heel physical appearance, with dirty concrete beams, damaged sound barriers, and unmanaged vegetation."

Usage

Inflected Forms

sound barriers (plural)

Phrases

speed of sound

Frequently Paired Words

speed of sound

Synonyms

sonic barrier

Questions

What does sound barrier mean?: Sonic barrier, the sudden increase in drag (resistance) and other effects experienced by moving objects when their speed approaches that of sound or becomes supersonic (which used to be considered a barrier to higher speeds).

How to pronounce sound barrier

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sound barrier”.
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