Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

berk

/bɝk/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.66 in modern English

Syllables: berk
IPA: /bɝk/

10

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

noun

a fool, a prat, a twit, etc.

British usage; Derogatory; Slang

Example Sentences

"However, it appears as if the berk who built the box ran out of wood and has left the end wall off."
"His chat-up techniques have to be read to be imagined—they make the crudest of Loaded-style berks seem classy—and he earns far, far too much money."
"I don't know why they couldn't just keep it as it was! How hard is it to remember 911? You mean 999... I mean 999! That's the American one! Yeah! You berk."

Etymology

* As a Dutch, Czech, and Polish surname, from a Germanic personal name stemming from Proto-Germanic *berô (“bear”). Also see Bernhard. * As a Dutch and north German surname, from the word for birch tree, from Proto-West Germanic *berku. * As a Jewish surname, spelling variant of Berg.

Origin

Source language: Dutch

Word Breakdown

Root: -, *berô, *berku

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /bɝk/
British English: /bɜː(ɹ)k/

Usage

Inflected Forms

berks (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

Belvoir

Synonyms

fool and idiot

Homonyms

birk Bourke burk Burke

Rhymes With

work jerk clerk burke kirk dirk turk perk quirk lurk smirk merck

Questions

How do you pronounce berk?: The recorded pronunciation is /bɝk/.
What does berk mean?: A surname.
Where does berk come from?: It is traced to Dutch.

How to pronounce berk

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