Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

beware

/biˈwɛɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.70 in modern English

Syllables
be-ware
IPA
/biˈwɛɚ/
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To use caution, pay attention to (used both with and without of).

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English bewar, be war, be ware, forms of Middle English ben ware (“to be on one's guard, be vigilant”, literally “be ware”), equivalent to be + ware or be + aware. Compare Old English bewarian.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

bewares (present, rare) bewaring (participle, present) bewared (past, rare) bewore (nonstandard, past) bewared (participle, past) bewore (nonstandard, participle)

Derived Forms

unbeware

Phrases

beware of Greeks bearing gifts beware of the dog buyer beware let the buyer beware

Synonyms

mind

Rhymes With

their there where care they're air share hair fair wear square aware

Questions

How do you pronounce beware?
The recorded pronunciation is /biˈwɛɚ/.
What does beware mean?
To use caution, pay attention to (used both with and without of).
Where does beware come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce beware

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