Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cute-'em-up

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.30 in modern English

Syllables: cute-'em-up
IPA

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A shoot 'em up game with a cute, cartoonish aesthetic.

Slang

Example Sentences

"It's a parody of Gradius (geddit?) and as such, is a fully-fledged “cute 'em up.” The hectic sideways-scrolling action is every bit as intense as its namesake, but instead of battling spaceships and futuristic hardware you have sunny levels filled with cartoon penguins, giant clowns, flying pigs and all manner of bizarre things."
"Fantasy Zone was not a game meant to be taken as seriously as other shooters, and together with Konami's Twin Bee, it is credited by many for pioneering the cute shoot-'em-up, or “cute-'em-up sub-genre of shooters” (Kalata, “Spotlight”)."

Etymology

Blend of cute + shoot 'em up.

Usage

Slang

Inflected Forms

cute-'em-ups (plural)

Questions

What does cute-'em-up mean?: A shoot 'em up game with a cute, cartoonish aesthetic.
Where does cute-'em-up come from?: Blend of cute + shoot 'em up.

How to pronounce cute-'em-up

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cute-'em-up”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “cute-'em-up” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.