Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

brillig

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.06 in modern English

Syllables
bril-lig
IPA
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A nonce word in Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, explained by Humpty Dumpty as "four o'clock in the afternoon — the time when you begin broiling things for dinner."

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Supposedly from bryl or broil.

Usage

Questions

What does brillig mean?
A nonce word in Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, explained by Humpty Dumpty as "four o'clock in the afternoon — the time when you begin broiling things for dinner."
Where does brillig come from?
Supposedly from bryl or broil.

How to pronounce brillig

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