Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

be one's own worst enemy

/bi wʌnz‿ˌoʊn wɜɹst‿ˈɛnəmi/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.13 in modern English

Syllables
be one’s own worst en-e-my
IPA
/bi wʌnz‿ˌoʊn wɜɹst‿ˈɛnəmi/
32
Scrabble Score
19
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To act contrary to one's own interests; to cause problems for oneself; to self-sabotage.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /bi wʌnz‿ˌoʊn wɜɹst‿ˈɛnəmi/
  • British English: /biː wʌnz‿ˌəʊn wɜːst‿ˈɛnɪmi/

Usage

Questions

How do you pronounce be one's own worst enemy?
The recorded pronunciation is /bi wʌnz‿ˌoʊn wɜɹst‿ˈɛnəmi/.
What does be one's own worst enemy mean?
To act contrary to one's own interests; to cause problems for oneself; to self-sabotage.

How to pronounce be one's own worst enemy

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “be one's own worst enemy”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bi wʌnz‿ˌoʊn wɜɹst‿ˈɛnəmi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “be one's own worst enemy”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “be one's own worst enemy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.