Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

balance of terror

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.14 in modern English

Syllables
bal-ance of ter-ror
IPA
22
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The tenuous peace that existed during the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Etymology

Probably coined by Lester Pearson in June 1955 at the 10th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter: “The balance of terror has succeeded the balance of power.”

Phrases

mutual assured destruction nuclear deterrence if you want peace, prepare for war

Frequently Paired Words

mutual assured destruction nuclear deterrence if you want peace, prepare for war

Questions

What does balance of terror mean?
The tenuous peace that existed during the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Where does balance of terror come from?
Probably coined by Lester Pearson in June 1955 at the 10th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter: “The balance of terror has succeeded the balance of power.”

How to pronounce balance of terror

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