Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

can of worms

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.78 in modern English

Syllables
can of -worms
IPA
20
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A complex, troublesome situation, which produces (or whose resolution will produce) many problems.

noun

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see can, worm.

Example Sentences

Inflected Forms

cans of worms (plural)

Phrases

genie is out of the bottle hornets' nest

Frequently Paired Words

genie is out of the bottle hornets' nest

Synonyms

kettle of fish Pandora's box tar baby

Questions

What does can of worms mean?
A complex, troublesome situation, which produces (or whose resolution will produce) many problems.

How to pronounce can of worms

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “can of worms”.
  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 “can of worms”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “can of worms” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.