Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

valium

/ˈvæl.i.əm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.95 in modern English

Syllables: val-i-um
IPA: /ˈvæl.i.əm/

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The drug diazepam.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A Valium pill.

Countable

Example Sentences

"These are the minor tranquilizers such as Diazepam (Valium), Chlordiazepoxide (Librium), Oxazepam (Serax), and related benzodiazepines, and Meprobamate, which are used to treat anxiety neurosis."
"Mothers little helpers were pills—Miltown, amphetamine, barbiturates, Librium, and Valium were the most popular and widely available in the fifties and early sixties—that were used to keep women in their place, to make them comfortable in a setting that should have been uncomfortable, to encourage them to focus on tasks that did not matter."

Etymology

A marketing coinage.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈvæl.i.əm/
British English: /ˈvæl.i.əm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Valiums (plural)

Derived Forms

val Valiumed

Frequently Paired Words

Librium Miltown Serax

Synonyms

diazepam

Rhymes With

gallium thallium allium pallium

Questions

How do you pronounce valium?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈvæl.i.əm/.
What does valium mean?: The drug diazepam.
Where does valium come from?: A marketing coinage.

How to pronounce valium

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