Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

between scylla and charybdis

/bəˈtwiːn ˈsɪlə ænd kəˈɹɪbdɪs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.90 in modern English

Syllables: be-tween s-cyl-la and charyb-dis
IPA: /bəˈtwiːn ˈsɪlə ænd kəˈɹɪbdɪs/

47

Scrabble Score

25

Letters

5

Syllables

14

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Between two dangers or undesired situations.

Example Sentences

"Grateful also to those who are in fear for me, lest I should either excite hatred, or disguise the truth, I will, by the help of Christ, make such a return for their kindness, as neither to become odious, nor a falsifier. For I will describe, both what has been done well, or otherwise, in such wise, and so safely steer between Scylla and Charybdis, that my opinions shall not be concealed, though some matters may be omitted in my history."
""I can't try," said poor Ralph; "I can't move further. I can't face that journey. Fancy me between Scylla and Charybdis! I don't want to die on the Sicilian plains—to be snatched away, like Proserpine in the same locality, to the Plutonian shades.""

Etymology

From Homer's Odyssey, where Odysseus and his men had to sail between these two locations (respectively, a rock personified as a monster, and a large whirlpool) en route returning to Ithaca from Troy.

Frequently Paired Words

Charybdis Scylla

Synonyms

between a rock and a hard place between the hammer and the anvil between the devil and the deep blue sea between Scylla and Charybdis between two fires damned if one does and damned if one doesn't doomed if you do doomed if you don't in a cleft stick in bad bread on the horns of a dilemma

Questions

How do you pronounce between scylla and charybdis?: The recorded pronunciation is /bəˈtwiːn ˈsɪlə ænd kəˈɹɪbdɪs/.
What does between scylla and charybdis mean?: Between two dangers or undesired situations.
Where does between scylla and charybdis come from?: From Homer's Odyssey, where Odysseus and his men had to sail between these two locations (respectively, a rock personified as a monster, and a large whirlpool) en route returning to Ithaca from Troy.

How to pronounce between scylla and charybdis

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