Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

countertenor

/kˈaʊntɚtˌɛnɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.80 in modern English

Syllables: coun-tertenor
IPA: /kˈaʊntɚtˌɛnɚ/

14

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An adult male singer who uses head tone or falsetto to sing far higher than the typical male vocal range.

noun

A male singing voice far higher than the typical male vocal range.

noun

A part or section performing a countermelody against the tenor or main part.

Example Sentences

"The term countertenor first appeared in England during the mid 17th century. However, the style of singing originated in Elizabethan cathedral choirs, eventually falling out of favour during the Romantic period."

Etymology

From Latin contrātenor. By surface analysis, counter- + tenor.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: contrātenor

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Music.

Inflected Forms

countertenors (plural) counter-tenor (alternative) counter tenor (alternative)

Phrases

contratenor altus contratenor bassus

Frequently Paired Words

contratenor contratenor altus contratenor bassus soprano mezzo-soprano contralto tenor baritone

Synonyms

alto

Questions

How do you pronounce countertenor?: The recorded pronunciation is /kˈaʊntɚtˌɛnɚ/.
What does countertenor mean?: An adult male singer who uses head tone or falsetto to sing far higher than the typical male vocal range.
Where does countertenor come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce countertenor

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