Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sprain

/spɹeɪn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.85 in modern English

Syllables: sprain
IPA: /spɹeɪn/

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To weaken, as a joint, ligament, or muscle, by sudden and excessive exertion, as by wrenching; to overstrain, or stretch injuriously, but without luxation

noun

The act or result of spraining; lameness caused by spraining

Example Sentences

"He sprained his knee after falling off the bicycle."
"Hi! I suppose you're expecting the Roadrunner! Well, he sprained a giblet cornering a sharp coive the other day, uh, so, uh, I'm standing in for him."
"a bad sprain of the wrist"

Etymology

Origin unknown. Noun attested since 1601; verb attested 1622. Possibly borrowed from Middle French espraindre (“to squeeze or press out”), from Latin exprimere (“to squeeze out, express”), in which case cognate to express.

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: espraindre, exprimo

Inflected Forms

sprains (present, singular) spraining (participle, present) sprained (participle, past) sprained (past) sprains (plural)

Synonyms

tear twist wrench wramp turn wrick rick

Rhymes With

main pain campaign train brain explain remain gain plane rain chain maintain

Questions

How do you pronounce sprain?: The recorded pronunciation is /spɹeɪn/.
What does sprain mean?: To weaken, as a joint, ligament, or muscle, by sudden and excessive exertion, as by wrenching; to overstrain, or stretch injuriously, but without luxation
Where does sprain come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce sprain

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