Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

big dipper

/ˈbɪɡ ˈdɪpɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.83 in modern English

Syllables
big dip-per
IPA
/ˈbɪɡ ˈdɪpɚ/
17
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A bright circumpolar asterism of the northern sky, said to resemble a ladle or cart, and a part of the constellation Ursa Major which includes the stars Mizar, Dubhe, and Alkaid. The other stars comprising it are Alioth, Megrez, Merak, and Phecda.

American usage

noun

A rollercoaster.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Probably from the name given to some rides, such as the Black Pool Big Dipper (1923).

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈbɪɡ ˈdɪpɚ/
  • British English: /ˈbɪɡ ˈdɪpə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

the Big Dipper (canonical) big dippers (plural)

Phrases

Little Dipper Ursa Major Ursa Minor

Frequently Paired Words

Little Dipper septentrion Ursa Major Ursa Minor

Synonyms

Charles' Wain Drinking Gourd Northern Ladle Northern Waggoner Plough Wain Wagon Great Wagon Bandwagon Saptarishi Saucepan triones

Questions

How do you pronounce big dipper?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɪɡ ˈdɪpɚ/.
What does big dipper mean?
A bright circumpolar asterism of the northern sky, said to resemble a ladle or cart, and a part of the constellation Ursa Major which includes the stars Mizar, Dubhe, and Alkaid. The other stars comprising it are Alioth, Megrez, Merak, and Phecda.
Where does big dipper come from?
Probably from the name given to some rides, such as the Black Pool Big Dipper (1923).

How to pronounce big dipper

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