Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

candy striper

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.99 in modern English

Syllables
can-dy striper
IPA
20
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A volunteer worker in a hospital or hospice.

American usage

Etymology

First appears in the US c. 1944, from candy stripe + -er, due to the red-and-white striped jumpers worn by hospital volunteers, which resembled stick candy (being candy-striped); originally worn by a group of high-school girls who volunteered as hospital workers at East Orange General Hospital in New Jersey.

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

candy stripers (plural) candy-striper (alternative) candystriper (alternative)

Phrases

candy girl candy stripe

Frequently Paired Words

candy girl candy stripe

Questions

What does candy striper mean?
A volunteer worker in a hospital or hospice.
Where does candy striper come from?
First appears in the US c. 1944, from candy stripe + -er, due to the red-and-white striped jumpers worn by hospital volunteers, which resembled stick candy (being candy-striped); originally worn by a group of high-school girls who volunteered as hospital workers at East Orange General Hospital in New Jersey.

How to pronounce candy striper

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